Shedeur Sanders hasn’t played a snap for the Cleveland Browns yet, but that didn’t stop Madden from dropping his rating.
The Browns’ fifth-round rookie was recently elevated to the backup spot after Joe Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was previously occupying the No. 3 spot on the depth chart and functioned as the emergency quarterback.
Sanders had held a 67 overall rating since the game’s launch in August, but the Week 5 update knocked him down a point to 66.
Sanders caught wind of the downgrade — and didn’t hide his confusion.
“How,” Sanders said. “Ian even do nun.”
Sanders’ only real game action came in the preseason. He made a strong impression in his preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers, completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He showed poise under pressure and accuracy on the move, highlighted by a seven-yard touchdown run and a 12-yard strike.
Sanders missed the Browns’ second preseason game due to injury and struggled in the finale against the Los Angeles Rams, completing just 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards while being sacked five times.
For context, Gabriel is rated 68 overall, while Flacco — now with the Bengals — is 71 overall.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Focused on Role
Sanders has faced an uphill battle since his draft slide. He’s seen limited reps and has had to climb the depth chart gradually. He remains focused on being prepared if his number is called. The rookie quarterback said he’s confident in his readiness but is leaving any playing-time decisions to the coaching staff.
“We’re going to make sure we do everything we can to make sure Dillon is ready for the game,” Sanders said ahead of Week 6. “So each and every day, even when Joe (Flacco) was the starter, everything. Prepare the right way and be ready to know that you could get out there any point in time. So, I’m overly confident within myself. I know when I first got here, I’m ready to play, but it’s up to the coaches and whatever decision they make, then I’m fine with.”
The Browns haven’t provided any substantial updates on Sanders, but they have praised his work ethic.
“This is not a group you have to prod into doing extra, whether that’s the weight room, meeting room, out on the fields,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We’re really pushing to improve, and I see that from Shedeur and all these young guys, which is the fun part for us as coaches to see all the work you put in show up in how these guys are performing.”
Browns Need More From QB Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel has started two games and neither has been overly impressive. Through two games, he’s passed for 430 yards and three touchdowns. But he’s attempted a whopping 85 passes in his two starts.
“I think you continue to learn from each start. Each time going in there, there’s a lot of details that you want to fine-tune and continue to get better at and get more comfortable with that,” Gabriel said. “But, you know, margin for error is small as well. So, I think I knew that but continue to learn that and try to evolve to be better for this team.”
The Browns hoped replacing Flacco with Gabriel would provide a spark. However, it hasn’t been able to juice up the offense. Cleveland is averaging just 13.7 points per game — the worst in the NFL. If he continues to struggle, Sanders may be the spark the Browns are looking for.
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