The spotlight has never been brighter than it is right now on quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The Cleveland Browns’ second-year quarterback has been the most talked-about player in Cleveland for months now.
Unfortunately, a lot of the talk has been negative about Sanders. There’s speculation that Sanders won’t be the future in Cleveland, and the team should prepare a backup plan.
Analyst Anthony Lima pushes back on that narrative and gives his thoughts on this whole situation.
“The ‘anybody but Shedeur’ thing. I don’t want it to be anybody but. I would love it to just be Shedeur. The only reason that we brought up Malik Willis and Anthony Richardson and, eventually Brendan Sorsby, the reason we talked about these guys is because we don’t know if Shedeur is gonna be good enough to prevent the Browns from drafting a quarterback,” said Lima.
"The 'anybody but Shedeur' thing…I would love it to just be Shedeur."
"I'm not trying to do guessing games next year and find diamonds in the rough."
➡️ @SportsBoyTony and @KenCarman on why the 'anyone but Shedeur' narrative is just not true pic.twitter.com/IpzDceTKnD
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 7, 2026
As a rookie, Sanders had an up-and-down season across his eight games with the Browns last season. He threw for 1,400 passing yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Sanders won three games during that span and showed flashes of being a capable long-term option under center.
He’s beginning his second season in the league, and some people already want to write him off. Yes, Sanders made some mistakes, but so does every rookie. Not every player is going to come into the league and be great right away, especially a fifth-round pick like Sanders.
When you’re the son of legendary football player Deion Sanders, the spotlight is going to follow you everywhere you go. The 24-year-old isn’t his dad and deserves a chance to prove himself before getting written off by everyone.
At the moment, Sanders is competing with veteran Deshaun Watson for the starting quarterback gig to begin the season. This competition is likely going to come down to the wire, but even if Sanders doesn’t start right away, let’s not give up on him. The Browns have a new head coach in Todd Monken, so let’s give him a chance to work with Sanders and see what he can get out of the 24-year-old.
It might take time with Sanders, but the Browns can’t keep jumping quarterback-to-quarterback and expecting great results right away.
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