The Cleveland Browns are facing significant challenges at the quarterback position, as their defense declined in 2024 from its prior dominance, but the offensive struggles overshadowed this regression. Deshaun Watson started the season but suffered an Achilles rupture during a divisional game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and even prior to the injury, he was considered one of the league’s least effective starters.
Following Watson, Jameis Winston stepped in and brought a brief spark to the offense; however, his chronic turnover issues soon became a liability. With Winston unable to stabilize the situation, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe also took their turns, but both were met with considerable difficulties in their starting attempts.
As the Browns now hold the second pick in the NFL draft, the prevailing sentiment is that the team’s path to recovery hinges on selecting a quarterback. Prominent discussions have emerged around Shedeur Sanders, the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback, although there are concerns that his father, Deion Sanders, would resist his son joining such a historically troubled organization. Nevertheless, Browns general manager Andrew Berry has dismissed these worries, stating, “I don’t anticipate that being a problem,” in reference to Deion potentially opposing Shedeur’s move to Cleveland, according to Cleveland.com.
“Shedeur is a really impressive young man,” Berry added. “He’s poised, he’s calm, he’s smart and you can tell that he’s been raised by – quite honestly – a Hall of Fame dad. We’re going to get to know him even more over the course of the spring but he’s really impressive.” It will be intriguing to see where Shedeur ultimately lands, especially with Berry emphasizing their commitment to evaluating him irrespective of his father’s preferences.
