The Cleveland Browns knew they were selecting a media frenzy when they made Shedeur Sanders the fourth healthy option in a crowded quarterback room.
Sanders will fight veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, for the right to be the man who saves the franchise from its failed $230 million Deshaun Watson experiment.
Sanders has not been given a chance to work with the first-team offenseFlacco signed a one-year deal worth up to $13 million after putting up impressive numbers in Cleveland during the 2023 season.
He is the presumed Week 1 starter as it stands, but Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter, who knows a thing or two about quarterback play after hauling in over 1,100 receptions, says the 40-year-old cannot be the answer.
“Nobody’s bringing Joe Flacco in the building, though, thinking he’s the starter,” Carter told the Fully Loaded podcast.
“If Joe Flacco is your starter, you’ve got a problem – you have a huge problem.”
Carter thinks the Browns need a QB who can grow in a young offense to secure the Browns’ future, but overlooked Sanders and Gabriel in favour of 27-year-old Pickett — a first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022.
“Pickett should be the starter,” Carter added. “If you look at potential growth, understanding the vision in NFL offenses.”
Sanders hasn’t taken any first-team reps in practice, a decision that was branded ‘mind-boggling’ by former Brown Tyvis Powell.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has instead decided to give Flacco, Pickett, and Gabriel time to find their groove in a huge blow to the son of Hall of Fame defensive back Deion.
Sanders has done the best he could with the opportunities he has been given and spent his downtime working with a personal QB coach in Miami, although an off-field speeding rap brought negative headlines.
Former NFL star Cecil Shorts III thinks Stefanski needs to justify his reputation as a QB whisperer and unleash his rookies.
Flacco currently sits on top of the depth chartGetty Carter led the NFL in touchdowns three timesGetty“I don’t want to see nobody else at quarterback but the two rookies,” he said.
“Preseason, all I want to see is Dylan Gabriel and Shadeur Sanders. I don’t want to see nobody else.
“Nobody else because those two guys need the opportunity to go win the job and then put them in the fire.”
Asked about rotating throughout the season to give both a chance, Shorts insisted one rookie should get a shot and keep the jersey.
“I’m not big on switching quarterbacks,” he added. “I hate that. Let the rookie battler all 17 if he’s healthy.
“Kevin (Stefanski), you supposed to be the guru. This is supposed to be what you supposed to do. You got two guys that are extremely accurate in college, that were unbelievably accurate in college.
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“If you’re the guru like you say you are, if you’re the guru like everybody says that is, ‘Oh, he can develop.’ Prove it. Prove it. Pick one and develop him throughout the year.”
Shorts believes Sanders is the right play despite being drafted two rounds after Gabriel.
“To me, talent-wise…, Shedeur is way better than Dillon. Dillon wasn’t nobody’s list,” he explained.
Training camp begins on July 25 and the Browns face the Carolina Panthers on August 9 to kick off preseason.
There is pressure on every NFL head coach but Stefanski’s seat will feel hotter than most as he tries to turn a four-headed monster into a problem for his opponents as opposed to a self-inflicted headache.
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