Is Shedeur Sanders really the NFL's 33rd best quarterback?
The Ringer’s latest QB rankings are out, and Browns fans, along with Shedeur loyalists, had to scroll for ages to finally find their flashy gunslinger.
It's a rating that has the football world doing a double-take: ranking Shedeur Sanders 33rd. In a league with 32 teams, the implication is loud and clear--Sanders is allegedly worse than every single starter in the NFL.
While the deep dive analytics by writer Steven Ruiz points to a D-plus arm and significant struggles under pressure, ranking a high-upside talent behind the entire league feels less like an evaluation and more like a provocation.
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Ruiz commented, "even when considering the weakness of his supporting cast, Sanders's performance did not measure up to even QB2".
Let’s be real: ranking Shedeur at 33 ignores the context of the "eye test" that made him a star in college. Sure, a 68.1 rating and 10 interceptions aren't pretty, but calling him "worse than a backup" ignores the raw creativity and "willingness to make a play" that even his harshest critics acknowledge.
The Ringer argues he doesn't measure up to a "starting-caliber" player, yet we've seen him flash the poise and accuracy that suggests his ceiling is far higher than a distant back-up. Plus he was at the helm for three of the Browns five wins this season over his seven starts.
One of Sanders' most supportive backers is ESPN Draft Analsyt Mel Kiper Jr., who defends his rookie year here:
“I don’t know what else the kid needed to do,” - Mel Kiper Jr says Shedeur Sanders did more than enough to be the Browns QB1 in 2026.
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) January 7, 2026
Do you agree? Pic.twitter.com/JB3eGIRepX
In the high-stakes world of the NFL, numbers often lie. Shedeur Sanders might be polarizing, but labeling him worse than 32 other quarterbacks? That’s a ranking that feels destined to be "receipt" material for a comeback story.
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