Browns GM Andrew Berry won't commit to Shedeur Sanders as 2026 starter despite rookie's progress

The Cleveland Browns are heading into different offseason needing to regroup aft a 5-12 run that led to the firing of caput manager Kevin Stefanski connected "Black Monday."

But portion filling that vacancy volition beryllium atop the precedence database for GM Andrew Berry, reporters were besides wondering what the team’s thought process is for the backmost concern heading into 2026.

More specifically, what does Berry person successful caput for Shedeur Sanders, the polarizing rookie who started the last 7 games for Cleveland, finishing with a 3-4 record.

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Executive vice president, shot operations and wide manager Andrew Berry of the Cleveland Browns watches a drill during Cleveland Browns grooming campy astatine CrossCountry Mortgage Campus July 29, 2025 successful Berea, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

During his end-of-season quality league Monday, Berry was noncommittal portion discussing Sanders.

"We’re going to bash our enactment connected the backmost market," Berry replied, per the New York Post. "It’s excessively important of a position, and it’s thing that has to beryllium solidified."

After different lackluster season, it’s just for Berry to privation to measure everything, including the backmost position, arsenic helium heads into yet different important offseason. The Browns’ caller caput coaching prosecute volition person a accidental arsenic good successful what backmost volition beryllium successful spot for Week 1 successful September.

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"I can’t beryllium present and archer you contiguous whether the solution for, oregon the starter successful 2026, is interior oregon external. But it’s thing that we’re going to enactment done implicit the adjacent respective weeks. And, rather honestly, the caller caput manager volition besides person a batch of input into that arsenic well."

The backmost presumption successful Cleveland had a nationalist spotlight connected it aft the Browns selected Sanders successful the 5th circular — helium was a projected first-rounder that shockingly fell to Day 3 successful the 2025 NFL Draft — and Dillon Gabriel retired of Oregon successful the 3rd round.

Veteran Joe Flacco was the Week 1 starter for Stefanski. But aft Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, Gabriel was the adjacent antheral up for the Browns. Gabriel, though, didn’t person occurrence successful his six games starting, going 1-5 successful his clip arsenic QB1.

After a concussion, Sanders took implicit and remained successful spot aft winning his archetypal vocation commencement against the Las Vegas Raiders. He threw for 1,400 yards with 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions successful his 7 starts, portion completing 56.6% of his throws.

Cleveland Browns backmost Shedeur Sanders warms up earlier a crippled against the San Francisco 49ers Nov. 30, 2025, successful Cleveland.  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Looking up to the 2026 season, the Browns besides person Deshaun Watson nether contract, and the embattled backmost is expected to beryllium returning, according to Berry.

The Browns person the sixth wide prime successful the 2026 NFL Draft, and they could prime a backmost there.

With each these antithetic factors, Sanders is successful the premix arsenic the imaginable starter for Week 1 adjacent season, but he’s going to person to gain that spot.

"I’d accidental backmost is the astir important presumption successful sports," Berry added. "We each cognize that. And portion of the equation with backmost is the valuation part. Part of it is the improvement part, arsenic well. It’s the astir important part. It’s the hardest presumption to play.

"It tin instrumentality time, but that’s the absorption — solidifying that position. That’s the biggest happening that tin pb to sustainable success. That’s precedence No. 1. How we execute that with the operation of interior options, outer seasoned options, the draft, that remains to beryllium seen. But precedence No. 1 is uncovering the person for the organization. That’s what our absorption is connected successful the abbreviated term."

Executive vice president, shot operations, and wide manager Andrew Berry of the Cleveland Browns earlier an NFL preseason crippled against the Los Angeles Rams astatine Huntington Bank Field Aug. 23, 2025, successful Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images)

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Berry said helium saw promising improvement from Sanders successful his archetypal NFL season.

"I deliberation we saw a batch of advancement with Shedeur this year. I deliberation that’s some mentally, physically and playing the position, He’s inactive precise overmuch a enactment successful progress, similar galore rookie quarterbacks are," Berry said.

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