Shedeur Sanders' Future as QB1 on Browns' Depth Chart Explained by New HC Todd Monken

New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken told reporters at his introductory press conference that it's still undetermined who will be the starting quarterback next season.

Rookie Shedeur Sanders served as the team's starting quarterback for the final seven games of last season. Monken did say he is "absolutely excited" to work with Sanders and others and added what he's looking for.

Sanders reacted to Monken's comments on Up & Adams on Tuesday:

Sanders completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 169 yards and one score. Sanders finished second-last out of 42 qualified players in quarterback rating, per Pro Football Reference.

Of course, Sanders wasn't thrown into the easiest of situations on a struggling Browns team that ultimately finished 5-12 and parted ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski. The Browns struggled offensively all season with or without Sanders and finished second-last in scoring (16.4 PPG) for the season.

Sanders did, though, showcase his potential by authoring an excellent game against the Tennessee Titans, throwing for 364 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while rushing for 29 yards and another score.

The Browns' quarterbacks on the roster are Sanders, 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and veteran Deshaun Watson, who is expected to be on the 2026 roster on the final year of a five-season, $230 million contract that's turned out to be a disastrous deal. Watson has not played since Oct. 2024 due to a ruptured (and then re-ruptured) Achilles.

The Browns could in theory add more competition this offseason, but Sanders certainly might have the leg up at the moment after finishing the year as the starter. There's a lot of offseason left to go until September 2026, though, so we'll see how things play out.