The Cleveland Browns took a flier on Shedeur Sanders by taking him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders entered training camp with no guarantee he would make the roster. Yet, he ended up making the 53-man roster, but is the Browns’ third-string quarterback. Meaning, Sanders will be inactive throughout the season, but will dress as the emergency quarterback.
Given that Sanders doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, Browns analyst Tony Rizzo urges Cleveland to part ways with the rookie quarterback.
“Somebody in that building does not think Shedeur is doing what he should be doing. I don’t think people want to talk about it,” Rizzo said on ESPN Cleveland. “I understand where they drafted him, and I understand there is a narrative out there that the Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel before Shedeur because he’s better. Well, I want to see that during real games.
“The conspiracy theories, I’ll let that all go to be fair to Dillon Gabriel, who probably should be the backup,” Rizzo added. “But if you’re not going to give Shedeur a chance, then let him go. Let him go. Are they just keeping him around for SportsCenter highlights, Stephen A.’s show, and jersey sales? Or are they actually going to give this kid a chance to play?”
It’s a bold comment from Rizzo, who thinks Sanders has the talent to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. But, with Joe Flacco and Gabriel ahead of him, he believes the Browns should part ways with Sanders to give him a chance to start.
However, Sanders did fall to the fifth round for a reason, so perhaps no team views him as a starter.
Browns Coach Defends Handling of Sanders
Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski was under fire for his handling of Sanders during training camp and the preseason.
Sanders was pulled from the final preseason game for Tyler Huntley, who led the Browns to a game-winning drive. After the game, many accused Stefanski and Cleveland of hindering Sanders’ development, which the coach says isn’t the case at all.
“I don’t concern myself with outside types of things, but I’m committed to his development, just like all of our rookies,” Stefanski said. “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.”
Sanders, meanwhile, said after the game that he expected to go back in for the game-winning drive, but that wasn’t the case.
“I didn’t know I was out,” Sanders said after the game. “Yeah, I didn’t know. I was on a bike, I was powering up. I was 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.’”
Sanders also claimed he went up to Stefanski to ask to remain in the game for the potential game-winning drive.
Orlovsky Believes Sanders is a Starting QB in the NFL
Sanders will serve as the scout team quarterback and third-stringer for the Browns in his rookie season.
However, former NFL QB and now ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky believes Sanders has the talent to be a starter in the NFL.
“He’s a young man who is really intelligent and has a high-level football IQ,” Orlovsky said to ESPN Cleveland… “He just needs a lot of reps at NFL speed to fully understand how legit that speed is, the pass rush, the change of coverage, the windows opening and closing, what he can and can’t do, what he can and can’t. He needs growth and development in that, which is what we said when he came out of Colorado. But is he physically talented enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL? I still believe the answer is yes.”
Sanders and the Browns will open their 2025 NFL 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 Analyst Urges Browns to Let Shedeur Sanders ‘Go’ After Being Named 3rd-Stringer appeared first on Heavy Sports.