Browns news: How Cleveland has made life easier for Shedeur Sanders in Year 2

Shedeur Sanders looks to be a new and improved version of himself going into the Cleveland Browns’ Week 9 matchup this season.

Sanders is halfway through the sophomore campaign of his young NFL career. He started in some games as a rookie while Deshaun Watson rehabbed his Achilles throughout 2025. With Watson back in the fold, Sanders has the backup quarterback duties.

However, an opportunity has opened up for Sanders. Watson is dealing with an injury, paving the way for Sanders to handle starting duties for at least one game. NFL insider Judy Battista provided her thoughts on the young quarterback starting, believing his performance will be better than last year because of how much better the supporting cast will be.

“That is largely because of the talent around him. It is better this season. KC Concepcion, one of the rookie wide receivers, you can get him the ball in space. It doesn’t require a perfect pass to get it to him. Denzel Boston is a really big boundary wide receiver, so another easy throw to him. They can make plays. Shedeur Sanders is not going to have to be the playmaker; he can just be the distributor,” Battista said on The Insiders show.

“I know Deshaun Watson’s job is not in jeopardy, according to Todd Monken, but they do wonder if Shedeur can play well enough to at least spark. spark a conversation about whether a change is made in Cleveland or whether one should be on the table. In Cleveland, we will see how he does. But certainly, this is an opportunity for Shedeur Sanders to show what he can do in Todd Monken’s system.”

“Shedeur Sanders is not going to have to be the playmaker.”@JudyBattista details how the Browns offensive pieces will benefit the QB 💪 pic.twitter.com/zxvUJyywoS

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 7, 2026

What lies ahead for Shedeur Sanders, Browns

Shedeur Sanders looks to have a long career in the NFL. His ability to have solid drives while temporarily leading the Browns offense will be crucial to his hopes of achieving that objective.

Cleveland has a 5-3 record this season, sitting at third place in the AFC North Division standings. They are above the Baltimore Ravens while trailing the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In terms of the conference standings, they are eighth place. They lead over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Ravens while being under the New England Patriots and the Bengals.

The Browns will conclude preparations for their upcoming matchup in Week 9. They take on the New Orleans Saints as kickoff commences on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. ET.