Like many of the other quarterbacks who took the field before joining the franchise, Johnny Manziel's era with the Cleveland Browns was a forgettable experience.
After being a first-round pick by Cleveland, Manziel was not only run out of Cleveland after two seasons and 14 total games played, but he never took another snap in the NFL again. Missing on any first-round pick can set a franchise back, but that impact is far greater when the player in question is a quarterback.
Fortunately, Cleveland did not invest the type of draft capital in this player that they did with Manziel, but fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders is already giving fans in the Dawg Pound unwanted flashbacks with the most recent headlines that include his name.
Shedeur Sanders CFL Update Gives Browns Fans Manziel Flashbacks
Earlier this week, the nine teams that make up the Canadian Football League released their exclusive negotiating lists, and Sanders found himself among the players chosen by the Toronto Argonauts.
What does this mean for Sanders? Absolutely nothing if he isn't interested in pursuing a football career in the CFL. That would be a path that he has no reason to even consider after signing his first NFL contract. This gives Toronto exclusive negotiating rights with the quarterback in the unlikely event that the NFL legend's son would choose to play in the CFL.
Browns fans watched Manziel spend two seasons up north after leaving Cleveland, having played parts of two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before being traded to the Montreal Alouettes in July 2018.
Even with all the scrutiny that Sanders has faced since declaring for the NFL draft, and ultimately sliding to the fifth round, there shouldn't be any concerns that this pick by the Browns turns out to be as disastrous as taking Manziel wound up being.
For now, fans in Cleveland can sit back and watch the Browns' quarterback competition play itself out as Sanders, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel battle it out for their spots on the depth chart.