Overview
- Early reporting indicates Cleveland will let Shedeur Sanders compete for the 2026 starting job, keep Deshaun Watson on the roster and target a developmental quarterback in the middle rounds.
- Dante Moore’s return to Oregon further thinned the class and increased Sanders’ odds, with Cleveland sitting at No. 6 in a draft widely viewed as light on day-one starters.
- A trade for 49ers quarterback Mac Jones is viewed as less likely than staying internal, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson.
- General manager Andrew Berry praised Sanders’ progress but stopped short of a commitment, noting the incoming head coach will help determine the 2026 plan after Kevin Stefanski’s firing.
- The current room includes Watson, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, with local commentators urging the team to move on from Gabriel and new analysis flagging Sanders’ troubling rookie efficiency metrics despite flashes.