The Cleveland Browns are officially Dillon Gabriel’s team.
The rookie quarterback looked efficient in his first game as an NFL starter, and with Joe Flacco getting traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, he faces less competition for the job.
However, everybody’s talking about how this will affect Shedeur Sanders.
Notably, that includes NBA superstar Kevin Durant.
Talking on “Up & Adams,” the Houston Rockets forward gushed about Sanders and how he’s dealt with everything since arriving in the NFL as a fifth-round pick.
“I’m glad he’s in the league developing, getting reps every day with the team. Just practicing every day — that’s what you want from any rookie. When he gets his number called… once that happens, he’ll be ready. Until then, just keep being a pro every day. That’s what I see from him. The media and the circus around him, that is what it is — because of his last name, how he came into the league, and just who he is. He seems to be navigating that pretty well. He seems to be getting better. He moved up to second in the depth chart, so that means something. That’s a step in the right direction,” Durant said.
Kevin Durant praises Shedeur Sanders for how he’s handled the spotlight early in his NFL journey 👏@heykayadams | @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/VCVkkpMPx2
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 8, 2025
Unless Durant has been at Browns practice, it’s hard to imagine how he may know whether Sanders has improved or not.
Also, while the Browns might feel more comfortable with him now, he was bumped up to QB2 only because Flacco is gone.
Though the media has certainly played a big part in the circus around the Browns’ quarterbacks, many athletes have played an even bigger part.
They’ve pushed for Sanders to get a chance, even when he clearly isn’t ready.
Sanders hasn’t dealt with this situation in the best way, either.
He was a distraction in training camp with his speeding tickets, and he’s made news by saying he would’ve done better than some NFL starters, and then for non-vocal responses to the media.
Everybody wants to see the rookie succeed, and it would be a great story, not to mention something positive for the Browns.
NEXT: Greg Newsome Sends 5-Word Message To Cleveland After Trade
