The Cleveland Browns, as has been the case for the vast majority of their history since 1999, have some serious questions at the quarterback position. They thought, of course, that they had answered those questions for the foreseeable future when they traded for Deshaun Watson in 2022 and gave him the most guaranteed money in franchise history.
Needless to say, the trade and the contract that followed have been nothing but disasters for the Browns. In three seasons, Watson has played just 19 regular season games. In those contests, he had a completion percentage of 61.2%, 3,365 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a passer rating of 80.7.
With their supposed star quarterback out for 2025 with yet another Achilles injury, the Browns decided to sign 40-year-old Joe Flacco again. They also drafted Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
And then, almost unexpectedly, they took Shedeur Sanders, who had at one time been projected to be a top-five pick, in the fifth round.
Cleveland Browns Quarterback Shedeur Sanders Slid to the Fifth Round of the 2025 NFL Draft
As previously mentioned, Sanders was at one time projected to be a top-five pick in the NFL Draft. Many fans may recall that he teased knowing he would be selected by the New York Giants with the third overall pick. Then, as his stock began to slide, he hinted that he had had good discussions with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had the 21st overall pick.
But neither of those teams chose him.
Instead, he fell to the fifth round and the Browns after the following report was made by NFL Network:
“One longtime NFL assistant coach said his time with Sanders was ‘the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in in my life. He’s so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. … But the biggest thing is, he’s not that good.’ Said one longtime AFC executive: ‘It didn’t go great in our interview. He wants to dictate what he’s going to do and what’s best for him. He makes you feel small.'”
“Even some of Sanders’ fans expressed disappointment he didn’t take a bigger step forward as a senior. ‘I liked him the year before,’ an NFC GM said. ‘They did change coordinators. It just felt different. It felt less athletic, less arm talent — everything felt less. If you’re talking about this year’s tape versus (Jaxson) Dart and Shedeur, I don’t think it was particularly close.'”
And while many felt bad for Sanders falling, especially in light of the prank call controversy involving Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s son, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce believes the former Colorado Buffaloes star is going to be a godsend for Cleveland.
Travis Kelce Believes Shedeur Sanders Can Be the Starting Quarterback of the Cleveland Browns
After going on an expletive-laden rant against the anonymous sources who slandered Sanders prior to the NFL Draft, Kelce told his brother, Jason Kelce, that he believes Cleveland might have ended up with their starting quarterback.
On his “New Heights” podcast, Kelce stated:
“What I saw of the film, I thought he was a way higher pick, and I think that’s all I think that should matter. It doesn’t seem like he’s a terrible person. It seems like he’s just a motivated football player that is part of a big football family.
“Him and his father have kind of taken over NCAA football for the past three to four years. Whether that’s something NFL teams quote unquote didn’t want to deal with, I feel like this is going to be such a fresh start for him. I can see him working his a– off and becoming the starting quarterback in Cleveland at some point, for sure.”
Only time will tell if the ten-time Pro Bowler is correct in his assessment, but if he is, the situation could be the best thing that has happened to the Cleveland franchise since, well, ever.
More Cleveland Browns News from Gridiron Heroics
- Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Goes Off on Anonymous Sources Behind Shedeur Sanders Slander
- BREAKING: NFL Hands Out $250,000 Fine in Shedeur Sanders Prank Call Case
- Anonymous NFL Exec Reveals Why Getting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders Could Pay Off for Browns
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