The NFL schedule seems to always be in warp drive. With the first quarter of the season over (technically, that will not come until the end of the first quarter of Week 5), the Cleveland Browns are in first place in the AFC North and have the fourth seed in the current AFC playoff picture.
The return of QB Dillon Gabriel also leads to questions about how the team will handle their roster and potentially four quarterbacks.
The Browns also still have two first-round picks, but the Los Angeles Rams also winning
kept both of those picks far away from the Top 10. For now, the focus is on the current season mostly.
Besides a somewhat easy schedule for Cleveland, the second quarter of the NFL season leads into the NFL trade deadline on November 10th. If the Browns continue their winning ways, GM Andrew Berry could be apt to be a buyer at the deadline. Berry is also creative in his process, so Cleveland could also be a seller if offers make sense.
As we’ve already seen in the NFL, the deadline isn’t the only thing that has spurred trade action. For the Browns, Gabriel’s pending return could lead to fellow QB Shedeur Sanders being on the move. Rumors kicked off once Sanders lost the quarterback battle with starting QB Deshaun Watson. This week, Dan Graziano of ESPN fueled those rumors a bit more:
Young guys such as Anthony Richardson Sr., Stetson Bennett IV or, yes, even Shedeur Sanders could be interesting to teams looking for a developmental QB who needs a change of scenery. Always watch for under-the-radar QB trades at this time of year. Again, we’ve already had one.
With Watson playing well and Gabriel returning, Berry could find a trade he finds acceptable for Sanders. There has been some conversation that Watson’s positive, not perfect, performance could be a positive indication for Sanders’ development.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com threw cold water on the embers of the Sanders rumors:
Astute Browns fans have already noted the similarity between this “no plans” language and that which was used surrounding DE Myles Garrett in the months prior to him being dealt.
As always, it takes two to tango. While Sanders had his moments in 2025, his overall performance has been ranked at the bottom of the league multiple times. Sanders completed 57% of his passes last year as a rookie, for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The surrounding cast and offensive system did not help any of Cleveland’s quaterbacks last year, including Sanders.
HC Todd Monken’s work with Watson, and Sanders pushing the veteran throughout training camp, could raise his stock in the league. The NFL has also seen injuries to quarterbacks each week, which could create an opening for a team to see what they have with Sanders.
For now, Sanders rumors are smoldering and could heat up at any moment, especially whenever Gabriel is cleared to return to practice with his 21-day window opened.
Do you think Sanders rumors will heat up and he’ll eventually be traded or think Cleveland will try to keep all four of their quarterbacks (active, practice squad and/or IR) through at least the trade deadline this year?
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