Shedeur Sanders could be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
Sanders made his first NFL start on Sunday, and he will remain the starter in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers. Ahead of his second start, some rival executives believe he has all the tools to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
The Athletic NFL insider Jeff Howe spoke to multiple NFL executives anonymously, and they shared praise for the rookie quarterback.
“I would definitely play it out for a while and see what you have with him,” said a rival executive, who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly.
Another rival exec, meanwhile, thought Sanders looked good in his first NFL start, and there is plenty to build on.
“He looked fine, like he’s got a chance (to be a starter),” another executive said. “He made a couple of nice plays and throws; he also had a few rookie mistakes… I’ll give him credit. He’s tough, just like he was in college.”
The rival execs believe Sanders has the talent to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Some execs also like his brash confidence, which turned off some teams during the draft process.
“I like his confidence,” the first executive said. “It doesn’t turn me off at all.”
In his first NFL start with the Browns, Sanders went 11-of-20 for 209 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Sanders Deep Ball Comes as ‘Advertised’
Throughout the draft process, Sanders’ arm talent was never in question as he has a cannon of an arm.
In his first NFL start with the Browns, Sanders showed off his arm talent as he connected on a deep ball to Isaiah Bond. Howe believes the Browns’ rookie quarterback has a great arm and his deep ball is as advertised.
“Overall, the deep ball came as advertised, even in limited opportunities. Sanders’ composure also improved throughout the game, which likely played into his postgame excitement,” Howe added. “Sure, it might come across as off-putting to some to hear Sanders focus so much on himself, his journey and his haters after a win, but it should be dually understandable to see a 23-year-old revel in success after he’s been subjected to disproportionate amounts of criticism over the past year.”
Sanders will continue to get more confident in his deep ball as he has more time in practice with the first-team offense.
Browns Coach Pleased With Sanders’ First NFL Start
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Sanders will remain the starting quarterback, as he had a solid debut.
On Monday, Stefanski was asked about Sanders’ first NFL start and he felt like the rookie did well and there is lots to build on.
“Well, obviously, first start for any young quarterback, you’re always going to make sure the operation is how you want it, and I thought by and large was good. There’s things that we can clean up and obviously that goes on all of us,” Stefanski said. “That’s coaches, that’s the players, the quarterback, where we can clean up some of our operations. But I thought communication was really good throughout the day with him.
“And then like you mentioned, the big plays down the field, obviously that first one to I.B. (Isaiah Bond) was very high degree of difficulty with that play. Are there things that he can do better? Absolutely. We’ve already talked about that with him. He has the mentality that he will make the adjustments to the speed of the game, make the adjustments to what people are giving us, to make those improvements.”
The Browns will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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