Despite Shedeur Sanders Pro Bowl, Browns Linked to New QB in Latest NFL Rumors Before Combine

The Cleveland Browns "are again involved in a perpetual quarterback search," according to The Athletic's Zac Jackson.

Jackson added that Cleveland "will talk with quarterback prospects in Indianapolis and talk with other teams, too, about potential trades."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported something similar in January. Appearing on ESPN Cleveland, the NFL insider said he expects a "shake-up" at quarterback:

The Browns' QB room isn't as barren as it was heading into last offseason. They're stuck with Deshaun Watson for one more year, but he should be fully healthy for Week 1. His second Achilles surgery was 13 months ago. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are coming back as well.

First-year head coach Todd Monken is nonetheless keeping his options open.

"I think like any position on the team, that's still to be determined," he told reporters when asked during his introductory press conference about having a starter in mind. "Am I excited about Shedeur? Am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely. I can't wait for them to get back and for us to get started."

It's hard not to see those comments, along with the reporting from Jackson and Fowler, as displaying a lack of full faith in Sanders, who seemingly has the inside track on the starting gig for now.

The skepticism wouldn't be unwarranted.

Pointing to the fact Sanders was a Pro Bowler as a rookie obscures his actual performance. In seven starts, he threw for 1,353 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also completed just 59.2 percent of his passes and had a 72.9 QB rating.

Shedeur 60-Yd TD Pass ⌚

01:06

No rookie ever arrives in the NFL as the finished product, and one could argue Sanders deserves a full season as the starter before the Browns basically decide to move in another direction.

Even when grading the 24-year-old on a curve, though, he reinforced some of the concerns surrounding his game coming out of college. Namely, his three sacks per game were a partial reflection of how he hangs around in the pocket for too long.

In short, Sanders wasn't so overwhelmingly good to basically take the decision out of Monken's hands when it comes to the depth chart.

Nobody will be too shocked if Cleveland brings in some competition for Sanders or identifies a new QB1 altogether.