The Opening Drive 12/8: Shedeur Sanders' Goal Is Trying To Make The Browns 2026 Decision Uncomfortable
The expectation is for the Browns to draft a quarterback but Shedeur Sanders can still challenge the plan.
Apologies for the delay today. I spent pretty much all morning breaking down the performance from Shedeur Sanders and isolating his plays to go into deep dive mode. You know where to find it. Overall, it was a strong performance and most definitely worthy of turning heads inside the walls of Berea.
Kevin Stefanski spoke today about Sanders response in this game to focus areas the team has wanted him to improve upon. These are the strides you need to hear.
It’s exciting for Sanders to be even getting some of this buzz. His performance can’t help but make you wonder about the advantages of him actually being the type to lead this franchise. He would cost next to nothing over the next three seasons, helping the Browns dig out of their financial hole left by Deshaun Watson, and it would allow the Browns to invest in two other position groups that badly need upgrades: offensive line and wide receiver.
The Browns could use the good fortune of a break like that considering how many have gone the opposite way in recent history.
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Sanders game-by-game improvement is what will serve his best purpose here. If he is to get the Browns to take him seriously he will need to repeat his performance against the Titans across the next four games. He will need to keep processing cleanly, playing on time, and delivering despite pocket chaos. All signs from the Titans game show you he is willing to learn and develop in those areas but there has to be some consistency in a short window — fair or unfair.
Put it this way, if Sanders is able to lead the Browns to multiple wins the rest of way, perhaps upsetting one of the Steelers or Bears, and then knocking off a Bengals team in Week 18, then it becomes tougher for the Browns to get a real chance at one of the two quarterbacks who matter in this class.
If things hold as they currently, with the Browns sitting at the 3rd pick in the upcoming draft, it will be hard for the organization to pass on two players I think are worthy of Top-10, and even Top-5, selections. I have both graded currently at the level of Cam Ward last year, with one being higher, and both being better prospects than Sanders (who I gave a late first, second round grade).
Fernando Mendoza makes a ton of NFL throws, plays on time, delivers with consistent accuracy, and has started to use his legs as a weapon inside the Indiana offense built around quarterback reads in the run/pass game. He made nearly every correct decision against Ohio State and led the Hoosiers to multiple big drives to get the win.
Dante Moore is young and growing weekly — to the point he is very exciting. His processing is sharp, he operates quickly between reads, can move around the pocket and outside of it, has clean mechanics, and is deadly accurate. His dissected the Washington defense his last time out.
If Sanders can win a few select games and make these two quarterbacks out of the Browns range, it gets even more possible he will be given the 2026 season to show what he can do. Let’s see if he can string together a few more performances like the one we saw yesterday.
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I really want to see him succeed, both for himself and for the Browns. We need those two first round picks to be used on linemen and a receiver, not traded to go up to #1. We just have too many holes.