Stephen A. Smith assigns blame to Shedeur Sanders fanbase for draft fall amid 'sabotage' talk

by: Grant Grubbs 13 minutes ago grant_grubbs_

After the Browns’ 19-17 preseason win over the Los Angeles Ram on Saturday, some fans began to question if the team was attempting sabotage rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders . In the win, Sanders was put in with a backup offensive line and suffered five sacks for a total loss of 41 yards.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about this narrative after the game and denied it . On Monday, First Take host Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the Browns’ management of Sanders.

“I certainly can understand any any kind of skepticism about him not letting Shedeur Sanders finish that two-minute drill, but to sit up there and look at a two-time Coach of the Year, who’s never had that kind of reputation, and automatically attach the word ‘sabotage’ to him when it came to Shedeur Sanders, that’s problematic,” Smith said.

“That may be one of the very reasons, I’m talking about outside of his talent, that he fell to the 144th overall pick because of moments like this. The second you make a decision about him, if it’s something that the masses out there don’t agree with, no matter how ill-informed and amateur they are in dissecting what’s transpiring — nevertheless, that kind of noise is going to be put out there unfairly and unnecessarily, and that’s the kind of stuff that teams may have wanted to avoid during the draft.”

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.

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