Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow admitted that he's a fan of Cleveland rookie Shedeur Sanders. This coming as both teams prepare to finish off their seasons in Cincinnati on Sunday.
"I thought he made a lot of plays. I thought he could throw it. And then obviously given who his dad is, he, he knows how to handle the media, knows how to handle the spotlight,“ Burrow said.” Certainly under the microscope more than any other fifth-round pick that’s ever been in the history of football." (Via cleveland.com)
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Sanders’ rookie season has been a mixed bag as he prepares to make his seventh career start.
He’s completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,289 yards, tossing seven touchdowns alongside 10 interceptions — a stat line that perfectly captures both the flashes of brilliance and the growing pains that helped send him sliding to No. 144 overall in the draft.
Even so, his spotlight hasn’t dimmed. If anything, Sanders has leaned into it, handling the noise with confidence and composure — an approach that’s clearly caught the attention of Burrow.
Burrow also commented, “every clip that I see, you know, he seems to be handling it well, says most of the right things in the media. He is who he is, he’s himself. That’s what you want out of a football player. So he seems to be handling it the right way.”
An extra storyline to Sunday's finale is that Sanders' former Browns teammate, Joe Flacco, will be on the opposite sideline as Burrow's backup.
During training camp, Sanders was exiled to a separate practice field, while Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel got reps with the starters. However, when Flacco was dealt to Cincinnati after Week 5, the quarterback shuffle continued, with Gabriel stepping into the starting spot and Sanders moving into the No. 2 role.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Sanders will get a chance to impress Burrow, Flacco, and most importantly, the Browns front office. It is his last chance to impress the organization, and try to discourage them from drafting another QB in April.
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