Let’s be very clear about Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ odds in the NFL.

Of the 93 quarterbacks drafted on Day 3 since 2010, only three, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, and Brock Purdy, have gone on to become full-time starters. That number bumps up to seven if you include a few others, like Gardner Minshew, who’ve become spot starters. Is Sanders an elite player in the making, defying all odds? Almost certainly not. But if we take a second and recontextualize what it means to be legendary, then yes, he can still achieve those heights.

How We Got Here

Sanders should’ve been a first-round player, even if he wasn’t quite that level of prospect. Miami’s Cam Ward took a clear pole position as QB1 and never conceded it. Sanders boasted production, accuracy, and an air-raid mentality, but he wasn’t particularly athletic, held the ball too long, took a bunch of sacks, and didn’t have an upper-echelon arm.It made some sense for a team to prefer the athletic upside of Jaxson Dart over him. Then, early on Day 2, the Saints drafted Tyler Shough. Then the Seahawks drafted Jalen Milroe. Sanders’ draft day slide became the story of the draft, and by the start of the 5th round, it was beginning to look like he may not be drafted at all. The Browns would stop his slide, even after drafting Dillon Gabriel earlier in the draft. Sanders would be one of eight quarterbacks drafted on Day 3. He was an outspoken prospect with a larger-than-life dad. To some degree, it made sense that he might fall some teams’ boards, especially after he reportedly bombed a couple of interviews. He spent the summer buried on a busy depth chart featuring Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Gabriel. Sanders reportedly turned down the Ravens in hopes of landing a starting job down the line, yet he was as low as QB4 on the Browns depth chart. Through patience, Sanders would get his shot. He beat the Raiders 24-10 in an ideal first game, becoming the first Cleveland quarterback to win his debut since Eric Zeier in 1995. He completed several passes downfield, including a 53-yard dot while rolling out to the right. He was far from perfect, but he showed promising signs in his first start. 

What’s Next?

Shedeur Sanders would have to play fantastic football down the line to remain in starter conversation going into 2026, whether that’s for the Browns or elsewhere. Cousins, Purdy, and Prescott were all quite good when they took the field for the first time and had to unseat a preferred starter to stick around. Sanders has a clear path towards QB1 for the rest of 2025, but there’s no guarantee beyond that. The Browns traded down with the Jaguars in the last draft and received a bounty of picks, including a 2026 first-round pick. As things currently sit, the Jaguars seem poised to make the playoffs. I’d assume that pick will fall between 18-24, so not as lucrative as Cleveland had hoped, but still good value. This puts the Browns in a position to be extremely aggressive for a young quarterback in the upcoming draft.There are currently three names to watch atop the ‘26 draft class: Ty Simpson, Dante Moore, and Fernando Mendoza. So far, none have blown by the rest as a clear QB1, making this a muddled group early in the process. Cleveland is in a good position to either draft one with their own pick, or trade up if needed. Sanders is going to have to perform well enough to make leadership consider him just as good a prospect as any of those three guys. It’s possible, but their upside will likely be more tantalizing than his. However, the Browns could always look to double-dip on talented prospects to build out their roster. Utah’s Spencer Fano to start building the offensive line, Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson to add a dynamic receiving threat, or perhaps a player like Reuben Bain Jr. from Miami to stack a strength on a strength. 

Legend

Just consider the path Sanders has been on. He won’t live up to the status that his father did, becoming an athlete of true legend. But, considering what Shedeur has been through as a prominent college quarterback, falling in the draft, and working back into a chance to become an NFL starter, he could very well write his own legend. If that happened in Cleveland, it adds all the more to the myth. A franchise deprived of a franchise signal-caller, only to back up into a maligned prospect who overturned the odds to become what they’ve been searching for. It’s almost a story you can’t write. But, even if he proves his worth just enough to get a shot somewhere else while the Browns dip back into the prospect pool, that’s a step further than his fifth-round status would assume he’d get to. Not all legends are made of gold and glory. Like Rudy once was, simply making it this far is worthy of admiration. 

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns QB Shedeur Sanders: How this thing can work long-term