Shedeur Sanders Named 4th in Browns QB Depth Chart Makes No Sense to Marcus Spears

Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdowns in his debut Browns game but it wasn't enough for coaches to promote him up the depth chart.

Shedeur Sanders Named 4th in Browns QB Depth Chart Makes No Sense to Marcus Spears

Shedeur Sanders (Image via IMAGO)

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Shedeur Sanders’ two-touchdown debut increased his stock, but not enough to raise him on the quarterback depth charts. Naturally, it raised a lot of eyebrows.

Kevin Stefanski gave Sanders the starting quarterback job in the Browns’ preseason opener against the Panthers in Carolina. Sanders threw 14 completions for 138 yards and posted a quarterback rating of 111.9.

He posted those numbers even though he never took any reps with the first team throughout the offseason camp. The performance in the Panthers game should have been enough for Sanders to climb the ranks, but he stayed at fourth best in the quarterback depth chart behind Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel.

Former NFL defensive end Marcus Spears loved Sanders’ response following his monumental fall in the draft. Spears argued that Sanders proved that he belongs in the NFL and deserves first-team reps. He said:

I don’t know why in the hell you’d leave him at fourth string after a performance like that.

From the former Cowboy’s point of view, Flacco isn’t the Browns’ long-term solution because he’s 40. Sanders should be the player in the future.

Flacco returned to the Browns after a one-year gap. The organization brought the Super Bowl winner in after Deshaun Watson picked up an injury. Flacco led the Browns to the 2023 playoffs. The Browns traded for Pickett in the offseason from the Eagles and drafted Gabriel in the third round in the latest draft.

Browns insider revealed bad news for Shedeur Sanders

Sanders definitely has the tools in his arsenal to succeed as an NFL quarterback. However, he still needs to beat out the competition before earning the starting quarterback job.

Shedeur Sanders Named 4th in Browns QB Depth Chart Makes No Sense to Marcus Spears
Shedeur Sanders (Image via IMAGO)

It will not be easy. The result of the Panthers’ game is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t guarantee a promotion. Mary Kay Cabot wrote (ht/Cleveland.com):

The truth is, while the start was exciting and promising, Sanders is likely still a long shot to beat out Joe Flacco and win the starting job out of the gate. Granted, he brought the juice and gave the Browns a much-needed spark, but he still has a long way to go before he can go head-to-head with Burrow in the opener and then venture into M&T Bank Stadium against the Ravens’ vaunted defense and play as fast as he’d need to.

Cabot’s assessment makes sense. A satisfactory performance in the preseason isn’t proof enough for the Browns’ coaching team to hand him the starting quarterback job over veterans like Flacco or Pickett.

Although Stefanski will wait until the last moments to decide his starting quarterback, Flacco remains the favorite to represent the team in week one. Sanders began his college football career at Jackson State. He then followed his father/coach, Deion Sanders, to the University of Colorado to play for the Buffaloes. He played games for UC and posted a 13-11 record.

The Buffaloes qualified for the Alamo Bowl, in which they faced BYU. It was their first bowl appearance since 2020. However, it ended in a defeat, extending their losing streak to five (their last bowl game win was in 2004 against UTEP in the Houston Bowl).

With Sanders moving on to the NFL, the Buffaloes required a new quarterback. They signed the former Liberty starter, Kaidon Salter.

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