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.
He missed the Browns’ following game due to an oblique injury. In the Browns’ final preseason game, Sanders was the last quarterback to enter the game for Cleveland. He struggled mightily, absorbing five sacks for a total loss of 41 yards.
However, it’s worth noting Sanders wasn’t playing with the Browns’ starting offensive line. Evidently, the team sees enough potential in the former Colorado standout to want to keep him around.
“It’s the Browns job to bring him along, develop him, give him a chance and see what kind of quarterback he could be at the next level,” Schefter said. “The same is true of Dillon Gabriel. Let’s remember, they drafted Dillon Gabriel two rounds ahead of Shedeur Sanders. So the organization had a higher opinion, higher regard, more belief in Dillon Gabriel when they drafted him than Shedeur Sanders.
“Dillon Gabriel’s look good during the summer, and my guess would be that he’s going to be the backup for Joe Flacco. And it wouldn’t surprise me if both rookie quarterbacks, at some point this season, get some type of opportunity to play.”
