BEREA, OH — With mandatory minicamp next week, many will get a chance to see if quarterback Shedeur Sanders can emerge as the franchise’s future quarterback. The question remains, will he and when?
Sanders, arguably the most celebrated and hyped fifth round pick in NFL history, is in the midst of a highly public and talked-about competition with Super Bowl champion quarterbacks Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and third-round pick Dillion Gabriel for reps.
With minicamp, Sanders will likely get the fewest opportunities in working with the one’s, and has no margin for error. Based on some of the recent media reports coming out of training camp, it appears that the former Colorado Buffalo has a path—albeit a narrow one—in winning the Browns QB1 spot.
With Flacco being the early sentimental favorite, Pickett looking for a chance to jumpstart a stalled—and yet, still promising—career as a NFL starter, and a 5’11 southpaw, who could be the second coming of Tua Tagoviolia—minus the concussions, and Sanders could either be the odd man out or be the last one standing.
While Sanders doesn’t have Flacco’s arm, Pickett’s subtle athleticism or Gabriel’s pin-point accuracy, he may be the best amalgamation of all of them, with a better pocket presence and touch that none of them possess.
In Kevin Stefanski’s version of the West Coast offense, a quarterback needs to be able to hit deep throws off of playaction, while showing the ability to make big plays.
That is Sanders.
That is the potential he brings to Cleveland.
Outside of the constant discourse over his battle with Gabriel, his last name, his draft slide and the looming shadow that is Deshaun Watson, Sanders has a chance to emerge as the quarterback that the Browns not only hope will become their future, but the one they need to help change and set up a new culture in Cleveland as a whole.
My question is whether this was a Berry move or whether it was ordered by Haslam. If it was Haslam’s idea, it might have been the first good idea he has ever had in his Browns career. Everything else has been a disaster. But, Stefanski may never play him if it was owner’s interference. Yet the drafting of Dillon Gabriel was inexplicably dumb. He is (a) overripe for a rookie at age 24, (b) not exceptional in arm strength, (c) too small, and (d) too slow. The combination of too short (can’t throw over big linemen) and too slow (can’t get outside the pocket either) I feel is a dealbreaker. Too short is okay if you have above average speed but 4.94 speed is not good enough to outrun a nose tackle. I just don’t see how it can work out. But I can see the Browns trying to save face and keeping Gabriel over more deserving players.
My gut tells me that this was a Haslam move to draft Shedeur. Especially after whiffing on Watson, he knows that Cleveland needs a young, athletic QB that can bring some juice to the Browns.
As a photographer that covered UCF, I saw DG up close his freshman year, and I can verify all of those concerns. He is too short, average arm and at best, he is a career backup, spot starter. He needs to go to a pure WCO team (SF, SEA, MIA) that can best use his mobility and mask his average arm.
SS makes the team and Pickett gets traded.
No, Sanders will not be no.1 or no.2 for that matter. In all honesty he’s a nice distraction for the Browns from all the negativity for the Watson situation. which shows the attention level of some fans. Watson in the background now. Still Sanders will not likely make the roster.