An NFL Hall of Famer called out Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski for how the team has handled Shedeur Sanders.
The Browns took a swing on Sanders in the fifth round, selecting him at No. 144 overall and finally halting his slide down the draft board. Once projected as a potential first-round pick, Sanders endured the biggest tumbles of the weekend before Cleveland ended the wait.
For the Browns, it was a low-risk, high-upside move. But it also came with an increased spotlight on their shaky quarterback situation.
“We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said after selecting Sanders. “Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and it’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot.”
Sanders is the No. 3 quarterback in Cleveland. He’s sitting behind 40-year-old Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Eric Dickerson: Browns, Stefanski Didn’t Want Shedeur Sanders
Sanders has quickly become the league’s most polarizing third-string quarterback, and the Browns’ approach to developing the former Colorado star has sparked — largely unwarranted — criticism.
Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson was the latest to sound off, blasting head coach Kevin Stefanski and even calling for his job over the way Sanders has been handled.
“I hate to see him there,” Dickerson said, via TMZ. “I wish they would have cut him. Let him have an opportunity to go to a better football team. … I don’t think the coach [Kevin Stefanski] wanted him — they should have fired him too.”
The reality is that Sanders is a fifth-round pick and the Browns are treating him like a developmental prospect.
“For all the football conspiracy theorists out there trying to decode the real reason the Cleveland Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders, here’s the truth: There is no big secret. The pick wasn’t some master plan from ownership,” Dianna Russini of The Athletic said ahead of Week 1. “It was GM Andrew Berry’s call, rooted in his belief that Cleveland’s coaching staff could bring out the best in Sanders and help him grow into an NFL quarterback. It will be a process, and the Browns want to keep developing him.
“Don’t plan on seeing the fifth-round pick on the field this season unless things get really weird. Cleveland believes in Joe Flacco’s experience and Dillon Gabriel’s development as the backup.”
Shedeur Sanders Waiting Patiently for Chance With Browns
The debate around Sanders’ role has been loud, but he’s met it with poise, staying composed and saying all the right things when pressed about his situation. Sanders has been trying to take advantage of every opportunity, which more recently has come while running the scout team.
“Whenever I get on scout team, that’s my game day,” Sanders told cleveland.com recently. “Everybody knows. So that’s me having a game every week. I look at it, I have six games a week, so I’m happy rather than just having one game a week, on the weekends. The scout team receivers, all of us, we all know every day is game day and we definitely approach everything in that fashion.”
The Browns offense has sputtered through the first three weeks, and Flacco’s hold on the starting job is quickly slipping. Gabriel could be next in line to take over. If he falters, the door will open for Sanders to finally get his long-anticipated opportunity under center.
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