Shedeur Sanders’ fall was the most headline-inducing subplot of the 2025 NFL Draft, and since being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round, fans and the media have struggled to accept that he wasn’t the top-10 pick many projected him to be.
He is now in a four-man quarterback competition that he has little chance of winning.
Cleveland’s coaching staff has stressed that all four are going to have a chance to compete for the starting job, but Sanders is last on the depth chart and recently addressed his lack of reps with the first team.
“It’s not my place to answer. It’s not in my control. There’s a lot of people that want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I’m here and I’m grateful to have the opportunity,” Sanders said, via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.
Shedeur Sanders was asked why he thinks he’s not getting reps with the first-team offense pic.twitter.com/DWgLMSzi8A
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) July 25, 2025
It’s great to hear that Sanders has a positive attitude and isn’t ruffling any feathers, which is the right approach to take as a late-round pick.
Aside from two speeding tickets, he has checked all the right boxes since coming to Cleveland, as he has taken well to a backup role, showing plenty of talent and solid decision-making in camp.
There’s not much of a path to Sanders getting more first-team reps because it’s becoming clear that the Week 1 starter will be either Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett.
Sanders wasn’t even the first quarterback the Browns drafted in 2025, and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel needs reps as well.
The situation could gain more clarity if the team eventually trades Flacco or Pickett, and it’s possible Sanders plays at some point this season.
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