In the three starts since he took over as the Browns‘ starting quarterback, Shedeur Sanders has shown himself to have at least the potential to having some staying power as an NFL-quality quarterback. As a starter, he has thrown for 722 yards in those three games, with five touchdowns and two interceptions, going 50-for-87 passing (57.5%). His quarterback rating is 94.1 in that span, which puts him on par with Giants first-round pick Jaxson Dart and well ahead of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward of the Titans.
In fact, eliminating the disaster game against the Ravens in which he came on in relief in the second half, Sanders has been as good as–or better than–any rookie quarterback in the league. It’s a small sample size, and that could change against some tougher defenses. But it could change for the better.
Still, Sanders is having a hard time getting buy-in from more than one sector of league observers. It may look as though the way he is playing for the Browns is proving that his original assignation as a first-round pick–before his stunning draft-day drop to the fifth round–was the correct one, but there’s still wide disagreement there.
Shedeur Sanders a ‘Limited Athlete’
Take ESPN expert analyst Ben Solak, for example. He was asked as part of his weekly column whether Sanders was showing teams had made a mistake, and where his draft stock would have landed him knowing what we know in retrospect. On one hand, Solak acknowledged that the fifth round was a Browns steal. On the other, Sanders still hasn’t impressed that much.
Wrote Solak: “Hmm. I’d say third (round). Sunday was his best game as a pro for sure, though it still came with plenty of in-pocket hijinks and missed opportunities. Still, a limited athlete with good playmaking instincts and toughness and a quality college résumé feels to me like a late Day 2 pick.”
That sounds a bit harsh. There were hijinks, maybe, but Sanders did throw for 364 yards and three touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown. And it was his third start–hijinks are to be expected. Even the difficult Pro Football Focus grading system came out with a 76.8 grade in the game for Sanders, which is excellent, and marks the fourth straight week of improvement.
GettyCam Ward #1 of the Tennessee Titans and Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns meet after the game at Huntington Bank Field on December 07, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Titans beat the Browns 31-29.
Browns Offense Has Been Moving
Either way, Sanders led the Browns to 29 points on Sunday, including two touchdowns after the team fell behind, 31-17. He has moved the offense in a way that wasn’t happening with fellow rookie (and third-round pick) Dillon Gabriel, or even veteran Joe Flacco before him. The Browns have scored 20.3 points per game with Sanders at the helm after scoring 16.2 per game before he took over.
He showed leadership in the loss on Sunday, too.
“I’ve been this way,” Sanders said. “So, this is God showing a lot of people who I am. You know, a lot of circumstances, you know, will sometimes get you mentally not in your best place. And you got to find your happy place. You got to find that it for you. So, I think that’s kind of, I’ve been praying and doing a lot, you know, talking to God this week in general, to get back to that place, you know, to get back there.”
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