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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was referenced heavily in the schedule release.

The Browns’ schedule-release video is generating attention beyond the schedule itself, with the quarterback competition emerging as the key reason.

The team’s Street Fighter-themed video features Shedeur Sanders alongside three recognized franchise pillars: defensive end Myles Garrett, cornerback Denzel Ward and linebacker Carson Schwesinger. The casting alone has generated buzz on social media, with many fans and observers pointing to Sanders’ prominent placement as a signal of where the organization sees him heading into the season.

“Featuring Sanders as the QB1, and he might not even be the starter, is so Cleveland. This was a hard watch,” one fan said.

“Shedeur plastered all over this video but some people don’t want to believe he’s our QB1,” another added.

“Looks like Shedeur is part of the plan,” a third said.

One line of dialogue in the video fueled the conversation even further. When one character says, “Ah, that was my last quarter. I want my quarter back.” The host of the video, MatPat, replies: “Sorry, Shedeur is off this week.”

Deshaun Watson Frontrunner for Browns QB1 Job

The video’s implied endorsement of Sanders runs counter to what has been reported in recent weeks by Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Cabot reported that Deshaun Watson emerged from the Browns’ voluntary minicamp in April with an edge over Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition and has the inside track to be named QB1.

Head coach Todd Monken does not want to prolong the quarterback competition into training camp. However, he hasn’t seen enough to name a starter yet.

“I would love to have that. I’m not there yet,” Monken replied. “So, I can’t say that.”

Monken has praised Sanders for his “elite playmaking ability” and said there is a long way to go for any first-year player.

Shedeur Sanders Praises ‘Vet’ Deshaun Watson

Sanders, for his part, arrived at veteran minicamp in late April speaking like a player ready to claim the job.

“This is the most important thing I have to do in my life,” Sanders said, referencing the time he spent in Cleveland training during the offseason. “I know there are some things that I wanted to improve, and I took a lot of time to self-reflect and just view a lot of things from a different perspective, honestly. And I think I covered a lot of ground with that.”

Sanders also addressed his relationship with Watson.

“He’s a vet. He did a lot. He accomplished a lot in his career, obviously,” Sanders said. “So when I have questions about certain things, I ask him.”

The upside case for Sanders as the starter remains significant. He took over as QB1 in Week 12 of the 2025 season and finished 3-4 as a starter. He now enters Year 2 with a new offensive line, multiple young weapons added in the draft and a first-year head coach in Monken who is focused on rebuilding the offense.

For the Browns, Sanders on a fifth-round rookie contract can be a major score as they look to add other key pieces throughout the roster.