There was a lot of public backlash about how the Cleveland Browns were putting rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in a bad spot by starting him in the team’s first preseason game on Friday against the Carolina Panthers, but he shined and threw for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the team’s 30-10 trouncing of Carolina.
Many former players stood up in defense of Sanders to push back on the media narrative that Cleveland is doing him wrong, and that includes former star cornerback Richard Sherman.
On a recent episode of Sherman’s podcast, he gave Sanders some love and said he doesn’t understand the hate he gets, adding that it seems like a lot of people don’t want him to succeed.
“I got a lot of respect for #12. The guy is balling. I don’t understand the weird hate #12 gets and that everything matters. It’s like they don’t want him to succeed,” Sherman said.
🔥 Shedeur Balling. The Double Standard. @RSherman_25 Speaking Facts
"I got a lot of respect for #12. The guy is balling. I don't understand the weird hate #12 gets and that everything matters. It's like they don't want him to succeed"
📽️ @RShermanPodcast pic.twitter.com/Vte2oyuSCN
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) August 9, 2025
Given his last name and how he was by far the main subplot of the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders was always going to bring unprecedented amounts of hype and criticism with him to Cleveland.
So far, the Browns have done a good job shielding him from as much of it as possible so he can simply focus on football.
Sanders has done a great job with that as well, as he recently told his father he didn’t want him at camp because he had work to do and didn’t need the distraction.
Cleveland still has plenty of time to let this four-man quarterback competition play itself out, but Sanders was so impressive on Friday that he may have made an impression on the coaching staff and force them to re-evaluate the pecking order.
NEXT: Kevin Stefanski Has High Praise For 2 Browns Rookies
