One of the big issues that lingered for Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders back at the NFL draft, when he dropped from a sure first-rounder down to the fifth round, was that no one really wanted to have Sanders on board as a backup. Once the first round passed and Sanders was still on the board, the problem became not so much that Sanders was not worthy of a pick for a team in need of quarterback depth, but that teams were too afraid of the distraction he could be if he were on the roster but not playing.
Certainly, the Browns have had a taste of that this season. No matter what you think of their decision to draft and play Dillon Gabriel ahead of Sanders, the relentless media attacks on the team, on coach Kevin Stefanski and even on Gabriel–who has been booed every time he has taken the field in recent weeks–show that if you picked and did not play Sanders, your franchise was in line for a PR nightmare.
On “The Orange and Brown Talk” podcast, with Cleveland.com beat writers, that notion was raised in a different context: Can the Browns draft a first-round quarterback and keep Sanders on the roster at the same time?
Browns Could Use 1st-Round Pick on a QB
It is a tricky question. If the Browns are committed to Sanders, it’s easy–Cleveland has two first-round picks, and both should be used to upgrade the offense, preferably at offensive line and wide receiver. If not, and if they have a Top 5 pick as expected, they should pick the best available quarterback after having declined to do so last year.
But if a first-rounder is used on, say Fernando Mendoza, what happens with Sanders? Keeping him would only invite more weekly criticism and scrutiny. As beat writer Mary Kay Cabot was asked, “Do they want to deal with the Shedeur circus and all that outside noise that would come with making that decision?”
Shedeur Sanders ‘Trending’ Toward QB Job
Cabot said that Sanders is “trending” toward securing a spot as, at least, the Browns’ 2026 frontrunner at quarterback. That would make the draft decision easier. But she conceded that Sanders is not an easy guy to contend with having on board if there is a chance he won’t be the QB1.
“The thing about Shedeur is that he just is a different animal when it comes to media attention and social media attention. It’s just different. It’s very, very different,” she said. “And I don’t think you can sweep that under the rug. I don’t think you could ignore the fact that he’s larger than life in so many ways. And he does have that sort of Tim Tebow-ish effect or that Johnny Manziel effect when the circus came to town with Johnny.
“He is—he brings with him something big and powerful that would be difficult to deal with if you were trying to throw all of your support behind a No. 1 pick.”
Browns Like Shedeur Sanders Leadership
There will be a number of factors that determine which way the Browns go. Sure Sanders has been better as he has gone on in the NFL, but the fact is he is still not a very good NFL quarterback. He has the worst rating in the league, and Pro Football Focus has him graded at a 48.6, which is 41st out of 41 quarterbacks the site has graded. (Gabriel is No. 40.)
If the Browns stick with Sanders, it will have to be because of the raw skill he has shown, plus an acknowledgment that his offensive line and receiver corps has been awful. And, Cabot said, Sanders has shown he can lead. That will count, too.
“It seems like he is really taking on that leadership mantle, it seems like he is trying to speak for the football team,” she said. “It seems like he has a good huddle presence where he is taking the bull by the horns. He is doing a lot of things that demonstrate that he has the potential to be that leader that you need to be. But they have to keep working at it.”
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