Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns' second-year quarterback, has been ranked dead last among 35 NFL players at his position in a comprehensive survey of 50 league executives and coaches. The Athletic's 2026 quarterback tier list reveals a stark assessment of Sanders' performance and potential, with anonymous evaluators offering blunt critiques of his accuracy, decision-making, and fundamental command of the offense.
The rankings paint a damning picture of Sanders' readiness for sustained NFL success. One defensive coordinator told surveyors, "I'd sleep like a baby if I got to play him every week." An unnamed executive was more clinical: "He's inaccurate at all three levels. I can't tell if he is going to get better, but there's a huge gap between him and competent QB play." Another coordinator added, "He's not an on-time player, can't really read through the coverages, is a little bit heavy-footed. He is thicker and harder to tackle than expected, but you shouldn't lose to him."
The Rookie Season Reality
Sanders got his first real NFL opportunity during the final six games of the 2025 season after winning his starting debut against the Las Vegas Raiders. His results were mixed at best. He threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, completing just 56.6% of his passes. Those numbers—particularly the interception-to-touchdown ratio and below-average completion percentage—underscore the concerns executives raised in their rankings.
The Browns' front office and new head coach Todd Monken appear willing to give Sanders another chance, but it won't come without competition. Monken has announced a three-way quarterback battle at training camp involving Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel. Watson ranked 31st in the survey despite not playing last season while recovering from an Achilles injury suffered in 2024.
A Fresh Start With New Leadership
One voter offered a more optimistic take on Sanders' prospects, framing the arrival of Monken as potentially transformative. "Todd Monken is a great reset in the same way Ben Johnson was a great reset in Chicago," the executive said. "Shedeur gets a fresh start with a no-nonsense, offensive-oriented coach who did a really good job with Lamar Jackson." That same voter acknowledged the conditional nature of any improvement: "If Shedeur has really invested in himself to be a professional quarterback, studying the playbook and knowing his assignments and being able to get the offense in and out of the huddle at an efficient clip, which he could not do last year, then there might be some upside."
The implication is clear. Sanders' struggles last season weren't attributed solely to bad luck or circumstances. Multiple evaluators pointed to fundamental issues—his inability to process coverages quickly, his footwork, his accuracy—that suggest deep-rooted technical problems rather than temporary growing pains. The question now is whether a new coaching system and another offseason can address these deficiencies before the Browns' first preseason game against the Bears in 10 days.
Sanders will need to demonstrate significant improvement in how he manages the offense, executes assignments, and delivers accurate throws under pressure. The bar has been set extremely low by this survey, but that also means even modest progress could shift the narrative heading into the regular season.
Why This Matters:
The Sanders ranking reflects a broader reality in professional sports: talent and pedigree alone don't guarantee success at the highest level. His struggles highlight the gap between collegiate excellence and NFL execution—a transition that demands not just physical ability but intellectual mastery of complex systems and split-second decision-making under pressure. For the Browns organization, this quarterback situation represents a critical institutional challenge: determining whether to continue investing in a young player with clear flaws or pivot toward more established options. The outcome will shape the team's competitive window and cap structure for years. For Sanders personally, the survey results are a stark reminder that NFL success requires relentless self-improvement and accountability to the system, not just individual talent.