From the moment Shedeur Sanders walked in clutching that Reaper prop, you knew he had a plan. This wasn’t some random game-day accessory; it was essentially foreshadowing. Plenty of rookies roll in wearing flashy chains or rocking their favorite playlist. Sanders? He showed up looking like he was ready to write the final chapter for whoever lined up across from him.
But just when you thought the Reaper had claimed his first NFL victims, Sanders hit everyone with a reality check. How the whole world is raving about the performance he had? Well, he isn’t. It was less “I’ve arrived” and more “I know the climb I’m on,” honestly. He showed it in the post-game interview as he opened up about the Browns‘ depth chart.
When asked where he stands on the Browns’ quarterback hierarchy, he didn’t respond like a Rookie of the Year candidate would. “I honestly don’t know, and don’t care. Whenever I get my turn I gotta take advantage of it… It’s not up to me. It is what it is. Gotta accept it,” he said.
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He sure is a realist. He knows a good preseason performance won’t hand him the QB1 job like that. Joe Flacco’s holding down the top spot, Kenny Pickett’s working back from surgery and pushing to prove himself, and Dillon Gabriel’s right there competing too. The Browns have said Shedeur will get his preseason snaps, but the starter job will be handed out based on several other factors.
And Shedeur’s numbers today? All you can say is: he did his job. The man capitalised on the opportunity that was given to him. He wrapped up going 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns, good for a 104.2 passer rating with zero turnovers. Add 19 rushing yards to that. Not franchise numbers, but definitely not ‘QB4’ numbers either.
After the game, Kevin Stefanski made it clear this wasn’t a crowning moment for Shedeur Sanders. The Browns’ head coach liked what he saw, especially Sanders’ poise under pressure and his ability to hit key throws, but he kept the focus on the bigger picture. One solid outing won’t lock in a depth chart spot. If Sanders wants to climb, Stefanski said, it’s going to take stacking that same composure and accuracy day after day in practice and every time he gets preseason snaps.
And Shedeur seemed to echo the sentiment as he admitted to his flaws in the post-match interview.
Shedeur Sanders was diffident in the post-game interview
Well, Shedeur was… self-critical. To say the least. “I don’t feel like I took full advantage of that opportunity… I don’t feel like I was sharp, honestly, I was okay. Next opportunity, I gotta build on this one,” he admitted after the game. He clearly didn’t wait for the analysts to pick on him. He beat them to it.
Is he being too harsh on himself? Maybe. Did he end the game without any flaws? No. If you saw the game, you probably spotted a few classic rookie wrinkles on the TV. Couple of timing hiccups on intermediate routes, and one play where the heat got to him early, cutting his read short and sending him into a scramble when there was an open option. Funny enough, those were the exact things Shedeur called out himself. They’re the kind of growing pains you fix with more reps and a lot of time in the film room.
So why all the praise? Because there was a lot more good than there was bad. Tight windows, short fields, pressure to finish drives? He handled it. The man threaded the red zone. No turnovers, no panic, just steady football. And when a rookie can admit what needs fixing while still putting points on the board, that’s the kind of combo that gets a coach leaning forward in the meeting room thinking, yeah… we can work with this.
And if the performance had LeBron James tweeting praise as if he were his own son, you know he pulled off something big. Half the Browns fans were wearing the number 12 jersey. He’s got all the love he needs, and now it’s up to Kevin Stefanski to decide just how many reps Sanders will get.
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