The Cleveland Browns stopped quarterback Shedeur Sanders’s slide in the draft last April, leading to his becoming one of the most popular fifth-round draft picks in NFL history. Morning talk shows and national scribes have spilled ink of Sanders’s fall from top QB prospect to Day 3 selection, and the talk didn’t calm down until the Browns opened the 2025 season.
Even then, there’s still some intrigue surrounding Sanders. While the Browns have started the season at 1-2, there’s a chance things could get worse. And if the Browns suddenly need someone to take over for Joe Flacco, Sanders believes he could be the man for the job – whether it be in Cleveland or anywhere else.
“I know if you see the quarterback play in the league right now, I know I’m capable of doing better than that,” Sanders told ESPN Cleveland. “I don’t think playing or not playing is in my hands. Based on the situation, if things happen (and) things pan out to where I play, then I’ll be out there and ready to play. I’m ready to play right now.”
Browns' Shedeur Sanders Believes He’s Better Than Other NFL QBs
The interview began with Sanders being asked about his Hall of Fame father's comments on the New Heights podcast. In that episode, Deion said that he believes that his son needed to be ready when his opportunity came and that it was “going to go down this year.” When asked about his comments, the younger Sanders confirmed he received the message.
“I focus on each and every day, what I got to do,” Sanders said. “Just because where I am on a depth chart, I don’t let that dictate my mindset each and every day, because you don’t know whatever will happen or what could happen. So it’s really, you know, just keeping the mindset of just staying locked in... remaining focused on the main thing.”
Had the interview ended there, it would have been “a nothing to see here” moment for a quarterback buried on the depth chart with a chip on his shoulder. But Sanders took it to another level when he said that he was not only ready to play but ready to play at a better level than some of the other quarterbacks in the league.
Sanders completed 17-of-29 (58.6%) of his passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns during the preseason and was comparable to Browns third-round pick Dillon Gabriel in Pro Football Focus’ preseason grades. But when you watch the tape, Sanders seemed a step slow and uncertain, logging the highest average time to throw among qualifying quarterbacks at 3.96 seconds.
By comparison, New York Jets QB Justin Fields has the longest average time to throw during the regular season at 3.37 seconds. While other quarterbacks, such as the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson (6.74 seconds), have longer scramble times, their average time to throw is around the three-second mark, showing Sanders’s inability to process at the speed of the NFL.
Of course, the rash of injuries that have swept the NFL has also thrown quarterbacks into the fire. The New Orleans Saints' Spencer Rattler ranks 22nd among qualifying QBs this season with a 66.2 PFF grade, but has an average time to throw of 2.61 seconds. Russell Wilson just got benched by the New York Giants, but he had the eighth-fastest time to throw at 2.71 seconds.
Perhaps Sanders has improved that part of his game, but that doesn't change that Gabriel may be the first in line to replace Flacco if the veteran QB is benched. Unless he knows something that Browns fans don't, Sanders will keep sounding delusional and could do more harm than good as he looks to see the field.