Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is set to enter what some are calling a defining offseason, despite it being just his second in the NFL.

After a rookie season that was largely uninspiring, Sanders will head for the offseason with a chance to win the job and be the leading guy for Todd Monken.

Of course, there are others in Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel who will be vying for the starting role, and that’s even before the Browns potentially decide to bring in another veteran.

So, Sanders will have his work cut out, but for CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan, he’s ranked the top 5 quarterbacks on the hotseat for 2026, and oddly names Sanders at No. 1, with J.J. McCarthy (2), Michael Penix Jr. (3), Bryce Young (4), and C.J. Stroud (5), behind him.

“Sanders ended the 2025 season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback, but he has hardly established himself as the set-and-forget figure under center for the organization,” Sullivan wrote. “With Todd Monken now hired as head coach, Sanders’ status as QB1 for 2026 is clouded. When asked about it during his introductory press conference, Monken told reporters that it’s “still to be determined.”

“That sets up Sanders to be fighting for his job the moment training camp begins later this summer.”

Sanders unfairly put at No. 1

Sanders, as a fifth-round pick, is entering his second offseason, so I’m not sure how he is under more pressure to deliver than Stroud or Young, even McCarthy, for that matter.

So perhaps it is a little odd that Sanders is being put in this position, but he clearly feels he deserves the chance to be Cleveland’s starter, and he will have to prove it to Monken and the coaching staff throughout training camp.

But as the No. 1 quarterback on the hotseat in 2026? To me, that’s a little unfair, because if Sanders flames out this upcoming season, that won’t be nearly as big a story if Stroud, Young, or McCarthy do it.

Either way, all eyes will be on Sanders as the offseason begins.