Shedeur Sanders came to the Cleveland Browns with a lot more fanfare and attention than any typical fifth-round pick.
He comes from NFL royalty and was projected to be a high first-round pick leading up to the 2025 draft before falling all the way to the 144th pick.
Many believe he slipped in the draft due to character concerns, and those concerns only got louder in recent weeks after he was cited for a pair of speeding tickets and a missed court appearance.
Cleveland.com insider Mary Kay Cabot recently wrote an article calling out Sanders for acting unprofessionally, pointing out that this is now a pattern that the Browns will have to address and potentially factor into the quarterback competition.
“He failed to appear in court and has an outstanding $269 in fines, which sends up a red flag on [Shedeur] Sanders’ mindset as he begins his NFL career here,” Cabot wrote. “Now, Sanders must also prove to the Browns that he’ll conduct himself professionally from here on out and can handle the demands of the position. He’s assured the Browns that he’ll take care of the speeding tickets, a team spokesman said, including the second one which can be waived by paying the $250 fine. But speeding twice, including during rookie orientation, is a pattern that must and will be addressed by the Browns, and could be at least a footnote in the quarterback competition.”
Sanders’ chances of winning the starting role over Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel were already slim, as he is currently fourth on the depth chart after minicamp, and these off-field incidents certainly won’t help his case to win the job.
The Browns have had enough problems off the field with previous quarterbacks such as Johnny Manziel and Deshaun Watson, and the last thing this organization needs after a 14-loss season is another headache.
So, while Sanders’ speeding tickets aren’t the end of the world, this is a problem that needs to be nipped in the bud so he can grow and move on from it.
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