by: Grant Grubbs 22 minutes ago grant_grubbs_
On Monday, the Cleveland Browns traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to Las Vegas Raiders, leaving rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders on the roster. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed the Browns’ thoughts on Sanders.
“They think that Shedeur Sanders is a rookie quarterback, and there’s going to be good moments, there’s going to be bad,” Schefter said. “He was the 144th pick in the draft, and so I don’t think they’re counting on him to be their savior. They think they might have something. They don’t know what they have.
“He looked great in the first preseason game against Carolina. He didn’t look quite as effective against the Rams when he held on to the football too long, took sacks and made plays that basically, I think, contributed to him falling in the draft. The truth is probably somewhere in between, where a lot of rookies are gonna have ups and downs.”
Sanders suffered an unprecedented slide during the 2025 NFL Draft , eventually being selected with the No. 144 overall pick, despite originally being regarded as a potential top-three pick. Due to his name and his fall in the draft, all eyes have been on Sanders during the NFL preseason.
Sanders impressed during his preseason debut. In a 30-10 win over the Panthers, Sanders completed 14-of-his-23 pass attempts for 138 yards and two touchdowns, without throwing an interception.