Shedeur Sanders took to social media on Sunday, vowing to keep improving as his play continues to spark debate and speculation about his future with the Cleveland Browns.
Sanders landed with the Browns as a fifth-round pick, but the former Colorado star is far from a typical late-round prospect. His time in Cleveland has drawn heavy national attention, with nearly every move scrutinized and dissected.
Sanders was part of a four-man competition for the starting quarterback spot in Cleveland, although he was always a long shot to land the job. The Browns recently named 40-year-old Joe Flacco as their Week 1 starter but are expected to keep three other quarterbacks in the mix — Sanders, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel and former first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
Deshaun Watson remains on the roster but is injured. It’s unclear if he’ll return at some point this season. The Browns terminated the contract of veteran Tyler Huntley during their first wave of roster moves on Sunday, narrowing the room by one.
Sanders had his toughest moment in a Browns uniform on Saturday during the team’s final preseason game. He entered in the second half and could not get anything going, completing just three passes and getting sacked five times for 41 yards lost.
After having some time to think about his performance against the Rams, Sanders made a post on Instagram thanking the fans.
“Thanks everyone for the (love) and support. There’s a lot to learn from this preseason, but I’m really thankful for the opportunity to be out there,” Sanders said. “Day by day, rep by rep, I’ll keep learning and getting better.”
Browns Benched Shedeur Sanders for Final Drive
The Browns made a polarizing move to not let Sanders quarterback a potential game-winning drive with two minutes remaining and down 17-16. It could have been a moment of redemption amid a rough outing. Instead, the Browns inserted Huntley.
“Obviously we didn’t play great as an offense in the second half,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said of the decision. “That’s never on one person. So we can be better in a bunch of areas and just felt like we wanted to give Snoop (Tyler Huntley) a last drive.”
Sanders said that he was prepared to go back in the game and was visibly upset on the sideline after the decision.
“I didn’t know I was out,” Sanders said. “Yeah, I didn’t know. I was on a bike, powering up for that two-minute drive because that’s just a situation every quarterback dreams for. That’s many situations I’ve been in before and I thought I was in, so then he told me I wasn’t in and I was like, ‘OK.’”
Some have accused the Browns of “sabotaging” Sanders, which Stefanski directly responded to on Sunday.
“Obviously I don’t concern myself with outside type of things, but I’m committed to his development, just like all of our rookies,” Stefanski said. “So, we’ll continue to focus on getting our guys better, and that’s what we’ll stay committed to, and that’s what’s important to me.”
Tyler Huntley Was Mentor for Shedeur Sanders With Browns
The Browns added Huntley during training camp, needing the veteran to eat up some preseason reps with multiple quarterbacks dealing with injuries. Huntley had previously spent time with the Browns last season
It was an expected move by the Browns to cut ties with Huntley, narrowing the room to four active passers. The Browns have said they’re comfortable keeping all four on the active roster.
Huntley was never in the mix for a prominent role in Cleveland. However, he did help out Sanders, helping him adjust to being a backup.
“I would say I’m thankful that Huntley here,” Sanders said recently. “He gave me a perspective of quarterback that I feel like I needed … I feel like God’s sent him here for a reason, honestly, just to talk and to be like a mentor towards me and his career, also. But being in that backup role, he faced that also in his career and he just gave me the mentality on what I need to do and how I need to stay on top of everything. Just helping me out throughout everything.”
Sanders won’t have Huntley around moving forward but it’s clear he took away some valuable lessons from being his teammate. The Browns open their regular season on Sept. 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Shedeur Sanders Makes Post After Browns Cut QB appeared first on Heavy Sports.