The Cleveland Browns took a flier on Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after he had a goal of being picked in the first round.
Sanders had plenty of hype entering the draft, and many thought he would be a future starting quarterback. Yet, he hasn’t gotten the chance to start this season, and it has created plenty of noise around Cleveland.
Many fans have called for Sanders to start, and all the outside noise is causing a distraction, according to former Browns star and Super Bowl champ Mitchell Schwartz.
“Teams don’t like having guys who aren’t necessarily playing or earning the right to be talked about that much or to be asked about that much,” Schwartz said to Casino.org. “It can cause a bit of distraction. It’s those situations when you’re an offensive lineman for example, suddenly you’re getting interviewed on a Thursday after a long practice, and they’re asking you about the third string quarterback.
“To you, that’s annoying. It’s not something you want to talk about. It’s not something you feel like you need to address or discuss. That’s what a distraction feels like. You don’t want to go in the locker room or be around the reporters because you’re going to be asked about it.”
Schwartz played for the Browns from 2012 until 2015 before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs. The offensive tackle believes all the noise around Sanders isn’t good for the locker room, which could be why he hasn’t started.
Schwartz Gives Sanders Advice
Part of the reason why Schwartz believes Sanders has become a distraction is due to all the media attention he wants.
The former offensive lineman thinks Sanders brings a lot of attention. He believes Sanderse seeks it out, which a third-string and backup quarterback shouldn’t.
“So when you are the backup or the third string and you bring that into an organization,” Schwartz added. “You could say he’s asked for a lot of it based on marketing himself the way he has. The way his father has. Putting himself out there. Having the videos and the shows and the endorsements. I don’t think you could say that he doesn’t want the attention.
“He clearly does and clearly likes it. He likes the money he earned in college, and the money he’s earning from it now. It’s just in the NFL, that only flies so much if you’re not producing on the field. We’ll see if he gets his chance. I think he, based on what we’ve seen in the last few weeks out of Gabriel, will get that chance. And we’ll see what he can do with it. Hopefully, he’s prepared.”
It’s a bold take from Schwartz. The former Browns star believes Sanders should just quiet down and put in the work and not bring all the attention to him as the backup.
Browns Sticking With Dillon Gabriel at Quarterback
Although Gabriel and the Browns’ offense have struggled, Cleveland is sticking with the rookie at quarterback.
After the Browns’ disappointing loss to the New York Jets, head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Gabriel will remain the starter.
“We’re going to stick with Dillon. Obviously, young players that you’re always trying to get one game better,” Stefanski said of his third-round pick. “We have to play better as an offense. We have to coach better. All of the above.”
The Browns will host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
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