Shedeur Sanders landing spots: Packers, Lions among best fits if Browns decide to trade backup QB

With the Browns naming Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback for Week 1, the question now becomes what the team does with second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Sanders entered the summer hoping to win the starting job, but now settles for a backup position once again. The former fifth-round pick becomes one of the higher-profile backups in the league, even though he doesn't have much starting experience under his belt.

While the Browns are not likely to trade Sanders away, a few teams could make a call to Cleveland as they attempt to strengthen their quarterback rooms for the season. Sanders is both cheap and young, a good combination for some NFL teams with high-priced starters.

Here's a look at which teams make sense for Sanders moving forward.

MORE: Why Browns named Deshaun Watson starting QB over Shedeur Sanders

Shedeur Sanders landing spots

Detroit Lions

The Lions have a quiet need for a backup quarterback behind Jared Goff, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them call about Sanders. Veteran Teddy Bridgewater retired in the offseason, leaving newly signed Josh Dobbs as Goff's insurance policy.

Like Goff, Sanders tries to win with accuracy from the pocket, making for a pretty easy stylistic fit with the Lions. While Sanders would be stuck behind Goff on the depth chart moving forward, this would give him a chance to play for a team with a recent winning culture.

Green Bay Packers

Another team that could look to add some youth to its quarterback room is the Packers, whose depth chart behind Jordan Love is Tyrod Taylor and Kyle McCord. Taylor is a veteran with an injury history, while McCord was a late-round pick last year, so Sanders could fit in as a backup beyond just this year.

Green Bay traded for Malik Willis after his second season in the NFL and made him their backup, a move that worked out well as Willis signed a big deal to go to Miami as a starter. The team could view Sanders in a similar light, giving the sophomore a chance to develop behind Love.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are fully in rebuild mode as they evaluate their team for a more aggressive 2027 offseason. Miami did sign Malik Willis in the offseason, giving the former Packers quarterback a chance to prove he's their new franchise quarterback, but Willis has yet to play more than eight games in a single season.

Miami's depth chart also includes late-round pick Quinn Ewers as Willis' backup, but Sanders was considered better than Ewers in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders would, therefore, give the Dolphins a better young quarterback in case Willis struggles or gets hurt.

Cleveland Browns

Frankly, the Browns remain Sanders' best chance to play this year, even though he lost out on the quarterback battle. With how Watson has played in Cleveland, the veteran is at risk of playing poorly enough to get benched at some point in 2026, which would pave the way for Sanders to prove he deserves to be the starter beyond this year.