NFL insider dropped a trade update on Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders that could be a sign of what’s coming
Coming out of Week 4, there’s some smoke around the future of Shedeur Sanders with the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns are one of the biggest surprises in the NFL through the first four weeks of the season with a 3-1 record. Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s play falls right in line with that, and he’s given the Browns acceptable quarterback play to this point.
With Watson settled in as the starter, Shedeur Sanders’ future in Cleveland is starting to draw trade chatter.
Going into the season, Watson and Sanders battled for the starting job. Watson won the competition, and Sanders is now the backup quarterback in Cleveland.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano lists Shedeur Sanders as a trade candidate
Sanders doesn’t appear to be a part of the future of the Browns quarterback room past this season. He isn’t going to be the starter, so it would make sense for Cleveland to explore a trade if the right opportunity comes about.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Sanders is a possible trade candidate for the Browns. Graziano said, “Shedeur Sanders could be interesting to teams looking for a developmental QB who needs a change of scenery.”
Sanders has appeared in only one game this season, and he had to come in for just one play. Last season, he started seven games for the Browns and went 3-4 as a starter. He finished with 1,400 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Sanders was a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Cleveland likely wouldn’t get more than a Day 3 pick back for him in a trade. Still, it’s a move the Browns could make to recoup up to the pick they spent on him, at most.
A trade would clear a path for Taylen Green
Moving Sanders would do more than add a draft pick for Cleveland. It would give the Browns a pathway to making rookie quarterback Taylen Green the backup behind Watson.
That matters because the Browns could use Green in running packages on game days. The third quarterback on the roster is an emergency quarterback, and he can only enter the game if the backup can’t. As long as Sanders holds the backup job, he’s keeping Green off the field.
The next month will be telling for Sanders and the Browns. Much of whether he sticks around for the entire season will depend on how well Watson plays over that stretch. If Watson keeps giving Cleveland steady play, the case for moving Sanders only gets stronger.
