The NFL preseason hasn’t even started and Shedeur Sanders is catching strays around the league.
On Tuesday, The Athletic released its 2026 NFL quarterback tiers list, in which 50 executives and coaches rank 35 NFL quarterbacks. The Browns second-year signal-caller came in last place and some voters, who all spoke on the condition of anonymity, weren’t too kind about it.
“I’d sleep like a baby if I got to play him every week,” one defensive coordinator said.
Each voter placed the quarterbacks into one of five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5), and then each was ranked by an average vote and placed into their respective tier.
Sanders, son of Hall of Fame cornerback Dion Sanders, received one Tier 3 vote, 37 Tier 4 votes and 12 Tier 5 votes.
Last season, Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions across eight games (seven starts). He recorded a completion rate of 56. 6 percent.
The 24-year-old was only one of 37 quarterbacks to start at least seven games in 2025 and he ranked last among the group in EPA (expected points added) per pass play, per The Athletic.
“He’s inaccurate at all three levels,” an executive said in the voting. “I can’t tell if he is going to get better, but there’s a huge gap between him and competent QB play.”
“He’s not an on-time player, can’t really read through the coverages, is a little bit heavy-footed,” a coordinator added. “He is thicker and harder to tackle than expected, but you shouldn’t lose to him.”
However, one voter gave some hope to Sanders as he is under offensive-minded coach Todd Monken, which they compared to the Bears’ Caleb Williams under new head coach Ben Johnson.
“Todd Monken is a great reset in the same way Ben Johnson was a great reset in Chicago,” the voter, an offensive coach, said. “Shedeur gets a fresh start with a no-nonsense, offensive-oriented coach who did a really good job with Lamar Jackson.”
What could be the difference to the offensive coach for Sanders if he comes out with a different mindset than that of his rookie year.
“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 voter added.
Monken has yet to make a decision on who is QB1 in Cleveland between Sanders, Deshaun Watson and backup Dillon Gabriel.
Watson, who did not play in 2025 while recovering from an Achilles injury, was ranked 31st on the tier list.
He received one Tier 2 vote and two Tier 5 votes among 35 Tier 4 votes and 12 Tier 3 votes.
