The Cleveland Browns made a decision about Shedeur Sanders.
He’s going to be their third-string quarterback, and it doesn’t seem like they feel he’s ready to embrace a bigger role.
However, as erratic as the rookie looked in his second preseason game, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky isn’t ready to give up on him.
Speaking on ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show,” Orlovsky said he still believes Sanders is good enough to be an NFL starter one day.
“He’s a young man who is really intelligent and has a high-level football IQ. I bet if we sat down at the board or watched tape, he could just rattle off what’s happening — what to do with the ball, how to read the defense, all of it. He just needs a lot of reps at NFL speed to fully understand how legit that speed is — the pass rush, the coverage changes, the windows opening and closing, what he can and can’t do, what he can and can’t get away with. He just needs growth and development in that area. But is he physically talented enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL? I still believe the answer is yes,” Orlovsky said.
"I still believe that answer is yes," – @danorlovsky7 if he thinks Shedeur Sanders can be a starter in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/gaHwqpIOeD
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 27, 2025
Orlovsky said most of the flaws that Sanders showed in college are still there.
The game tape doesn’t lie, and the harsh truth is that Sanders is pretty much the same player he was at Colorado right now.
He takes a lot of sacks, isn’t as athletic as other quarterbacks, and needs too much time to read the defense.
That’s not to say that he’s never going to be a good NFL player. It’s just not going to happen overnight.
Sanders’ huge fan base and support among former athletes in the media may have painted an erroneous picture of his current ability.
Yet, it looks like teams were right to pass on him in the 2025 NFL Draft, and fellow Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel was far ahead of him in terms of development and readiness, which is why he will back up Joe Flacco to begin the 2025 season.
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