Shedeur Sanders keeps hearing that the Cleveland Browns coaching staff is encouraged by his progress in practice, yet the Colorado Buffaloes football legend continues to see others promoted ahead of him.
Over the summer, Sanders was QB4 in the team’s competition under center, behind Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Kenny Pickett. Even after the latter was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders following an injury to their backup, Aidan O’Connell, Bailey Zappe has seemingly snuck ahead of Sanders on the depth chart.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Co. all but confirmed that’s still the case, though Sanders is still projected to see snaps at some point, in some form. Likely in garbage time, at this rate.
“The Browns are happy with the progress Sanders has made, but he’s still coming up the learning curve in terms of getting the play called, implementing a gameplan, and all the other aspects of the pre-snap process,” Cleveland.com’s Mary Kat Cabot wrote.
“He’s getting plenty of extra reps with the two-spotting during practice and the post-practice periods, and he’s coming along nicely.
“But the Browns don’t believe he’s one play away yet from entering the game and holding it down over a long stretch. As the emergency third quarterback, Sanders can handle spot duty if necessary, but the Browns want to see more on the field and in the classroom before he’s more ready to be QB2.”
Sanders doesn’t seem destined to do much in Northeast Ohio during his career. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Browns drafted him to stay relevant during another down year for a franchise that doesn’t have many up years.
The minute the team traded the No. 2 pick for two 2026 first-rounders, that’s what 2025 became.