Shedeur Sanders’ tenure with the Cleveland Browns already appears to be in jeopardy, a new report indicates.
Sanders was expected to be an early first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, with most ranking him as the No. 2 quarterback behind Cam Ward. In an all-time draft stunner, however, Sanders fell out of the first four rounds and wasn’t taken until round five at No. 144 overall.
Some were even surprised when the Browns selected Shedeur Sanders since they had already used a third-round pick on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Cleveland’s other quarterbacks are Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson, though the latter may not see the field in 2025 as he recovers from surgery on a torn Achilles.
According to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, Sanders’ roster spot with the Browns is not “guaranteed,” as he’ll likely open training camp as the fourth signal-caller behind Flacco, Pickett and Gabriel:
“Getting drafted behind Gabriel adds an element of uncertainty to Sanders’ rookie season. While he was widely ranked ahead of the third-rounder before the draft, Sanders will likely begin training camp as the fourth QB on the depth chart and won’t be guaranteed a roster spot.
Cleveland did trade up to draft him, which should afford him more time to develop, but Sanders likely has a longer pathway to the field unless he completely outplays his competition.”
The 23-year-old quarterback controls his destiny here. Remember, the Seattle Seahawks gave Matt Flynn a lucrative contract in 2012 free agency, but a little-known third-round pick named Russell Wilson came into training camp and won the starting job.
If Shedeur Sanders turns heads with excellent production in training camp and preseason, he’ll move up the depth chart. And with all due respect to Flacco and Pickett, it’s hard to envision either of the two journeyman quarterbacks running away with the competition.
Shedeur Sanders Has To Put The Work In If He Wants The QB1 Job
Leading up to the draft, multiple reports emerged about Sanders rubbing teams the wrong way during pre-draft interviews.
For his sake, let’s hope Sanders doesn’t walk into the NFL believing it should be handed to him on a silver platter without putting the work in, because we saw how that worked for all-time draft busts like Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell and Johnny Manziel.
Sanders has to take it seriously and put in the tireless wor if he wants this job. He’s the most talented quarterback on the Browns’ roster, but head coach Kevin Stefanski will only give the job to Shedeur if he earns it.
