The Cleveland Browns made an interesting decision about Shedeur Sanders.
They aren’t giving him any first-team reps in practice because head coach Kevin Stefanski believes that Dillon Gabriel, as a fellow rookie, needs all of them he can get.
That makes sense and seems to be the right thing to do.
However, analyst Tony Rizzo doesn’t agree and recently put the team on blast for how it’s handling Sanders.
“Let’s just see how bad it could be. Are they that afraid that Sanders is going to take seven sacks? Who is coaching this kid for 10 weeks? Is he getting coached? Is he getting developed? Apparently not. They’re not even giving him first-team reps. It’s a joke. It’s your job to develop these kids. I don’t give a s*** where he was drafted. I’m trying to be fair here. I’m trying to understand. If you don’t think he can play behind this line, what does he do in practice every day?” Rizzo said.
"IS HE GETTING COACHED, IS HE GETTING DEVELOPED, APPARENTLY NOT," – Rizz needs to know what's going on with Shedeur Sanders not getting 1st team practice reps. https://t.co/DueMRQ55nX pic.twitter.com/rAU1AzN6cZ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 23, 2025
Sanders was a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, after the Browns took Gabriel in the third round.
So, the plan at quarterback isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
The organization has always had Gabriel ahead of Sanders, and as such, they’re focusing on developing him first.
They need to figure out if he has what it takes to be their franchise quarterback, and if not, they can move on to Sanders.
Having them split first-team reps and leaving both of them less prepared for a game wouldn’t do either of them, or the team, any favors.
There’s plenty of football left to be played this season, and Sanders likely will get his opportunity at some point.
It’s crazy to think how much attention and talk has revolved around the No. 144 overall pick.
But regardless of how some fans may feel, the Browns have the final say in this situation.
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