Although the Cleveland Browns officially signed rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders to a four-year, $4.6 million contract earlier this week, ESPN analyst Peter Schrager doesn’t believe the former Colorado standout will be handed the starting job.
Far from it actually…
Sanders enters an intensely competitive quarterback room in Cleveland, facing off against veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with Heisman finalist Dillon Gabriel.
While it’s premature to dismiss Sanders’ chances of earning the Week 1 starter role, Schrager says the young quarterback will need to prove himself through performance rather than pedigree.
“I was covering the Seahawks when Russell Wilson was a third round pick, outplayed the great Matt Flynn and the late Tarvaris Jackson, and won that job,” Schrager said on ESPN’s Get Up.
“Shedeur is gonna have to win the job. They’re not going to give it to him … He has to now do it himself. The question is can you do it when it gets on the field?”
Former NFL linebacker and fellow ESPN analyst Bart Scott echoed this sentiment but noted that falling in the draft should fuel Sanders’ drive.
“I mean, they gave him a battery pack,” Scott said. “They gave a kid that was already held to a high standard because of the name on his back and how his dad handled being a professional. You gave him motivation, you gave him a chip on his shoulder.”
Scott added, “It’s not about the money, it’s for the opportunity. And now this guy, you’re going to get a focused, lasered in guy that’s going to live every day and approach every day to prove everybody wrong.”
The Browns’ quarterback competition will be closely watched this offseason, with Sanders looking to transform from a promising prospect into a proven leader under center.
If he succeeds, he could become one of the biggest draft steals in recent memory. But as Schrager stressed, that success depends heavily on his ability to put in the work and deliver when the lights are on.
What are your thoughts on Sanders’ dramatic fall in the draft? … At the end of the day, what are your big-picture expectations for his NFL career???
