Former NFL Scout Reveals A Concerning Shedeur Sanders Preseason Stat

One of the factors used to support Shedeur Sanders as the better choice to be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback is his performance in two preseason games, both on its own and when compared to Deshaun Watson. Sanders showed a better ability to get the ball downfield, and he was particularly sharp at times, completing his first eight passes against the Buffalo Bills.

But a deeper look reveals why head coach Todd Monken is concerned about some aspects of Sanders’ game. With a complex offense that relies on precise timing, Sanders may not be able to satisfy those demands, at least right now.

Former NFL scout Daniel Kelly revealed a concerning stat for Sanders during the preseason, pointing out that his time to get rid of the ball was among the worst in the league.

“Shedeur Sanders has a 3.26-second time to throw (PFF) against backups and vanilla preseason pass coverage. This ranked No. 96 out of 108 NFL quarterbacks,” Kelly posted.

Shedeur Sanders has a 3.26-second time to throw (PFF) against backups and vanilla preseason pass coverage.

This ranked No. 96 out of 108 NFL quarterbacks. pic.twitter.com/7WuO9xMBs8

— FIRST ROUND MOCK (@firstroundmock) September 4, 2026

Kelly has been skeptical about Sanders’ ability as an NFL quarterback, saying that he might not even be in the league much longer. So, pointing out this stat may be furthering that narrative, but there is no arguing with what the stopwatch shows.

Sanders’ ability to process plays and get through his progressions has been seen as a major shortcoming since coming out of college. It is one of the reasons he fell into the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

It was on display when he made seven starts at the end of his rookie season, as he took 23 sacks and threw 10 interceptions. It did improve somewhat toward the end of the 2025 campaign, and he was praised for cleaning up that part of his game throughout spring workouts and training camp.

But he did not make enough progress to sufficiently convince Monken, who made the controversial decision to name Watson as the starter, based in large part on his ability to run the offense like the coaches want. Whether he can execute that plan is the biggest question for the Browns as they head toward their Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sanders’ tendency to hold on to the ball can also result in big plays at times, but he must find a better balance if he hopes to improve his chances for playing time.