How Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is impacted by Oregon’s Dante Moore returning to school in 2026: Mary Kay Cabot
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Dante Moore’s announcement on Wednesday that he’s heading back to Oregon came as no surprise to the football world, but it could work in Shedeur Sanders’ favor.
Moore, 20, likely would’ve been a top three pick in the NFL Draft, and the Browns — who have the No. 6 and No. 24 overall picks — may have had a chance to get their hands on him or Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who announced he’s coming out.
Now, there are only two top-tier quarterbacks coming out in Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Simpson, meaning the Browns would probably be hard-pressed to find a quarterback worthy of the No. 6 pick. Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, is expected to go No. 1 overall to the Raiders. The next two teams, the Jets and Cardinals, also need quarterbacks, but they’ll also look at veterans via trade or free agency.
Moore’s decision is good news for Sanders, who’s hoping to be the Browns’ starter in 2026. With so few top-notch quarterbacks coming out, Sanders chances of being the Browns’ starter increase exponentially, although it will depend in part on what the new head coach wants.
The absence of Moore also makes it tougher for the Browns to trade out of the No. 6 pick if they decide to go that route.
Moore will now be part of the loaded 2027 quarterback class, which will include the likes of Texas’ Arch Manning and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers. Of course, as Browns GM Andrew Berry pointed out in his press conference last week, it’s early to handicap the strength of this year’s quarterback class, let alone next year’s. At this time last year, most experts believed that Sanders would go No. 2 to the Browns, and he ended up tumbling to them in the fifth round instead.
“You can think about what everyone felt like we knew about the quarterback landscape this time last year, about what we thought we knew about the draft,” Berry said. “There’s a lot of work to be done with this entire draft class. And again, you want to do that in partnership with your new head coach as well. It’s a long process to get through the assessment of this year’s passers.”
The winningest quarterback in the 2025 class turned out to be Tyler Shough, who was drafted by the Saints at No. 40 in the second round out of Louisville. He ended up going 5-4, and received a commitment from the Saints after the season as their starter for 2026.
Berry wasn’t ready to give Sanders such a commitment for next season, emphasizing that the new coach will have “a lot of input into” the matter. The Browns will also have a healthy Deshaun Watson on the roster in 2026, and he’ll make his case for the starting job.
“We saw a lot of progress with Shedeur this year,” Berry said. “That’s both mentally, physically, playing the position. He’s still very much a work in progress, like many rookie quarterbacks are. But I think we saw some really good things in terms of his playmaking, his accuracy, his ability to extend with his feet. And I think I’d also give him credit, as well as our offensive staff, for bringing him along in terms of his pocket management, his situational awareness and things of that nature.
“All being said, we’re going to do our work on the quarterback market. It’s too important of a position and it’s something that has to be solidified. I can’t sit here and tell you today whether the solution for or the starter in 2026 is internal or external. But it’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks.”
Berry noted that quarterback is the most important position in sports, and that the Browns will leave no stone unturned in their quest to get it right.
“We all know that,” he said. “Part of the equation with quarterback is the evaluation part. Part of it is the development part, as well. It’s the most important part. It’s the hardest position to play. It can take time, but that’s the focus, solidifying that position. That’s the biggest thing that can lead to sustainable success. How we accomplish that with the combination of internal options, external veteran options, the draft, that remains to be seen, but priority No. 1 is finding the leader for the organization. That’s what our focus is on in the short term.”
Veterans such as Mac Jones and Malik Willis could become options, and the Browns will thoroughly evaluate the other quarterbacks in the class such as Miami’s Carson Beck, Oklahoma’s John Mateer, and Penn State’s Drew Allar. If the Browns don’t draft a QB at No. 6 or higher via a trade up, they can always tab one at No. 24 or in a later round.
Or they can pick up extra draft capital for next season and be well-positioned for one of the top quarterbacks in the seemingly-stocked QB class of 2027.
As for Moore, who’s started only 20 college games, he decided to go back to Oregon after his multi-turnover performance in the loss to Indiana in the CFP semifinals. In doing so, he gave up nearly $50 million in guaranteed money. Last year’s No. 2 pick, Travis Hunter, received $46.65 million fully guaranteed from the Jaguars.
“This year, I’ve had many great throws, many great plays, but at the end of the day I feel I can still learn so much more,” Moore told ESPN. “As a kid, since I was 4 years old, I’ve dreamed about being in the NFL, but this team, we’ve been through a lot, a lot of people are returning, so we’ve got some exciting things to come this year. I’m excited to keep pushing my team.”
Moore, who completed 71.8% of his passes for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, now has a chance to not only win a national championship with the Ducks, but to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2027.
Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s Browns reporters.
