Shedeur Sanders heard plenty of praise during his rookie season for the Cleveland Browns, but he also had to sit through his fair share of criticism. Some people said he wasn’t ready for the NFL, couldn’t lead a team, and wasn’t going to become a successful quarterback.
Indeed, he received more feedback than most other rookies last year. Now, as his second season is about to begin, some people are standing up for Sanders and calling out the individuals rallying against him.
Hanford Dixon recently came to Sanders’ defense, saying he doesn’t “get” the people who are criticizing him.
“I don’t get it. I don’t know where they’re coming from. I don’t give a damn what Shedeur does. I don’t care if he’s got 50 people trailing behind him. All I care about is what Shedeur is gonna do when he’s between those lines when he’s playing quarterback for us. It’s okay if he has people behind him. He’s had his first year in the league. You’re gonna see a much more mature Sanders right now,” Dixon said.
Why is the media so negative towards Shedeur? @HanfordDixon29 can't solve the puzzle.
"I don't give a damn what Shedeur does. I don't care if he's got 50 people in his posse trailing behind him. All I care about is what Shedeur is gonna do when he's between those lines when he's… pic.twitter.com/decxtUaVrW
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) June 22, 2026
Certain Browns followers are coming down hard on Sanders for things that ultimately don’t matter, according to Dixon. They are criticizing his off-field lifestyle and behavior, and not concentrating on how he is playing.
In the end, Sanders’ value rests on how he performs for the team. He should be judged solely by the way that he contributes to the Browns. However, a lot of headlines about Sanders have centered around his personality, his family, and things that aren’t directly related to football.
Sanders has definitely had to combat negative perceptions about himself, and they may continue in the new season. No matter if he gets the starting quarterback position or not, Sanders is going to hear people critique how he plays.
Many of the things said about him may not be fair, but that’s the price of playing in the NFL.
If he can take to the field and impress, it’ll go a long way to change the narrative around him and silence the people who can’t seem to stop talking about him.
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