Andrew Buller-Russ
Shedeur Sanders was far from the Cleveland Browns’ top choice to become the team’s next franchise quarterback. If his draft slot were any indication, the Browns already have doubts about Deion Sanders’ son becoming their starting quarterback in 2025 or any time soon, for that matter.
In fact, according to Cleveland.com’s Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, Sanders may not even make the team’s final roster.
“Shedeur Sanders is the last of the Browns’ four quarterbacks to enter the competition, but can he jump to the head of the class by the start of the season? The climb will be as steep as his fall to the fifth round of the NFL draft, where the Browns threw him a lifeline and traded up to No. 144 with the Seahawks to save him.
Mary Kay Cabot on Cleveland Browns
He’ll have to beat out Steelers 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett, Browns 2025 third round pick Dillon Gabriel, and fan favorite Joe Flacco, the former Super Bowl MVP and 18-year veteran — possibly in that order.
It won’t be easy, considering the Browns passed on Sanders six times in the draft, including at No. 94 when they opted for Gabriel out of Oregon over the player widely-regarded throughout the pre-draft cycle as the No. 2 prospect behind Cam Ward.”
Cabot adds that the Browns were “perfectly prepared” to end the draft without adding Sanders to the roster, only changing their mind when realizing they could get him at a “steep discount.” Yet, that doesn’t change the fact that he’ll have to outperform the team’s other three quarterbacks, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel, just to get some valuable reps.
Ultimately, Cabot believes Pickett will be the starter when the season kicks off, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll remain QB1 when the Browns wrap up play. But it’s clear he has a long way to go before ascending to starter status, and that’s if he even makes the team.
After all, fifth-round picks are never guaranteed a roster spot. Like any other player, they have to earn every snap they get, and Sanders is no different, even if he’s the son of a legendary Hall of Famer.
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