Despite swirling speculation about Ty Simpson’s potential move to Cleveland, Shedeur Sanders has received encouraging news from the Browns’ front office that could shape his immediate future in the NFL.
The Browns have informed Sanders that he remains in their plans for the upcoming season, according to multiple league sources familiar with internal discussions. This assurance comes as rumors intensified over Simpson, a former Alabama quarterback who entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season, being linked to Cleveland as a potential developmental option.
Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 144th overall pick. Since joining the team, he has worked primarily as a backup to Deshaun Watson, taking part in offseason programs and training camp practices aimed at accelerating his development in a pro-style system.
Cleveland’s decision to retain Sanders on their active roster — rather than place him on the practice squad — signals confidence in his progress. The move also reflects the team’s broader strategy of building depth at quarterback behind Watson, who is entering the second year of a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract extension signed in 2022.
While Simpson has drawn interest from several NFL teams due to his dual-threat athleticism and SEC pedigree, no formal visit or workout with the Browns has been confirmed by team officials or verified through NFL transaction wires. Multiple reporters covering the Browns, including those from Cleveland.com and ESPN Cleveland, have reported that the club’s focus remains on internal development rather than pursuing external quarterback options at this stage.
“We like where Shedeur is headed,” said one Browns offensive coach speaking on condition of anonymity. “He’s picked up the playbook faster than expected, and his work ethic has been consistent. He’s not ready to start, but he’s further along than most fifth-round picks at this point.”
Sanders showed flashes of promise during the 2024 preseason, completing 68 percent of his passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns across two games, while also adding 45 rushing yards on designed quarterback runs. His performance stood out particularly in Week 2 against the New York Giants, where he led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive that included a 15-yard scramble on third-and-long.
Analysts note that Sanders’ transition from the spread-heavy, read-option offense at Colorado — where he threw for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2023 under his father’s coaching — to Cleveland’s West Coast-inspired system has required significant adjustment. The Browns’ playbook emphasizes timing-based throws, quick reads, and precision intermediate passing, a departure from the more improvisational style Sanders relied on in college.
To bridge that gap, Cleveland has assigned Sanders a dedicated quarterback coach who works with him daily on footwork, progression reads, and pocket movement. The team has also increased his repetition in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills during practice, treating him as a core part of the quarterback room rather than a peripheral developmental project.
This approach aligns with the Browns’ recent history of investing in young quarterbacks. In 2020, they selected Jake Luton in the sixth round and developed him over two seasons before trading him to Jacksonville. More recently, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round pick in 2022, spent his rookie year on the active roster before earning limited playing time in 2023.
Sanders’ contract, a standard four-year deal worth approximately $4.2 million with a $750,000 signing bonus, includes no guaranteed money beyond the initial bonus. That structure gives Cleveland flexibility but also underscores the performance-based nature of his roster spot. To remain on the 53-man roster beyond training camp, he will need to outperform any competing quarterbacks brought in during the preseason or demonstrate clear value as a practice-squad-eligible developmental player.
As of now, no official announcement has been made regarding the Browns’ final quarterback depth chart heading into the regular season. However, internal projections shared with position coaches list Watson as the starter, with Sanders currently slated as the third-stringer behind rookie fifth-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who was selected 142nd overall in the 2024 draft.
Gabriel, a former Oklahoma and Oregon standout, presents the most direct competition for Sanders’ roster spot. Like Sanders, Gabriel is a dual-threat passer known for accuracy and decision-making, though he lacks the same level of elite athleticism. The battle between the two fifth-round picks is expected to be one of the storylines to watch during Cleveland’s preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles on August 22.
For Sanders, the affirmation from the Browns represents a vote of confidence at a critical juncture. Many analysts had questioned whether he would secure a roster spot given the team’s investment in Watson and the competitive nature of the quarterback market. His ability to absorb the playbook, handle coaching, and show incremental improvement has apparently tipped the scales in his favor — at least for now.
Looking ahead, Sanders’ immediate focus will be on making the most of his reps in the final preseason game. A strong performance could not only solidify his place on the roster but also open the door to limited regular-season action in specific packages, such as goal-line situations or short-yardage designs where his mobility could be utilized.
The Browns open their 2024 regular season on September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET (20:25 UTC). Whether Sanders suits up for that game remains uncertain, but his continued presence in the quarterback room suggests Cleveland sees him as part of their long-term plan — even if his contributions this year are likely to be limited to practice and situational roles.
As the NFL landscape continues to evolve with quarterback movement and roster fluctuations, Sanders’ situation serves as a reminder that development often happens out of the spotlight. For now, the noise around Ty Simpson has not altered Cleveland’s internal evaluation: Shedeur Sanders is still in the building, and the Browns are giving him every chance to prove he belongs.
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