When you comb through the countless headlines about Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns, you may be surprised to see that many of them aren’t positive. There are think pieces, articles, podcast episodes, and endless social media posts arguing that Sanders isn’t ready to be a quarterback and shouldn’t be leading the Browns.
Some analysts and experts don’t understand the toxicity around the young star. Speaking on Unsportsmanlike, Evan Cohen dug into the hot takes about Sanders.
He said that the stance of some fans simply does not make sense.
“It’s amazing how many sound bites we have from Shedeur where you’d be like, ‘What’s the reason to dislike him?’ He doesn’t say anything wrong, unless I’m totally missing something. If you don’t like Shedeur, it’s because you’ve made up in your head that you don’t like Shedeur. If it’s for football reasons, that’s fine. If you don’t think he’s as good of a quarterback as his competition, whether it’s Watson or Gabriel, fine,” Cohen said.
What's the reason to dislike Shedeur Sanders?
"If you don't like Shedeur, it's because you've made up in your head that you don't like him."@EvCoRadio | @ChrisCanty99 pic.twitter.com/h8YYYTdKbM
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE (@UnSportsESPN) August 6, 2026
Truthfully, a number of people didn’t care for Sanders before he got drafted, partly due to his father and family name. This happens with many children of athletes, and it’s out of Sanders’ control.
Then some feel that Sanders isn’t talented enough, which is why he slipped so far down in the draft, going from a first-round prospect to someone picked up by the Browns all the way in the fifth round.
Since then, there have been many complaints about Sanders, and many of them are valid. He didn’t have the best rookie season, and it was clear that he had trouble adjusting to being in the NFL. Meanwhile, followers point out that former head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t give him enough opportunities and didn’t support him in the ways that he needed.
There was certainly far more noise around Sanders than other fifth-rounders. While some of that noise has dissipated, it’s still there, and it may be when the new season kicks off. Sanders doesn’t seem to mind, because he has his head down and is focused on doing his best in his second year.
All of his recent media appearances make it clear that he is intent on pushing himself, improving, and delivering for the Browns in 2026. He may not achieve those goals, but he seems to be in the right headspace. If he performs better in the new year, he may change the minds of some of his critics.
But it feels like certain people will never be on board with him.
NEXT: Jared Verse Gives Browns Another Reason For Optimism
