As the Cleveland Browns prepare for a competitive preseason, ESPN analysts have raised eyebrows with a bold assertion: Shedeur Sanders, the team’s fifth-round draft pick, could realistically start under center in Week 1-provided he’s given a fair shot in camp.
During a segment on ESPN’s Get Up, former NFL executive Louis Riddick addressed Sanders’ potential in Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room, which also features Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel. Riddick emphasized that the key to Sanders’ success lies in how the Browns handle preseason reps.
“Shedeur Sanders starting for the Browns is not ridiculous, as long as they are able to, and I heard Dan Graziano talking about this this morning earlier on ESPN Radio, as long as they can get him enough reps,” Riddick said.
“And it sounds like Kevin Stefanski is aware of the fact that in order to create a real quarterback competition, he has to kind of change some things in terms of the way he has to divvy out reps during the preseason and during, you know, during the offseason.”
Riddick‘s argument hinges on the idea of an “organic competition,” where reps are not predetermined based on draft position or veteran status.
“If he can compete with Dillon Gabriel, if he can compete with Joe Flacco, he can compete with Kenny Pickett, there’s a very good chance that if this is an organic competition with the level playing field. He could be your starter Week 1. No question about it,” Riddick added.
Stefanski revamps minicamp approach to support rookie QBs
Adding to the conversation, Dan Graziano highlighted how Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland’s head coach, is already taking proactive steps to create a level playing field for Sanders and Gabriel.
Graziano noted that Stefanski altered the usual structure of rookie minicamp to allow the two young quarterbacks meaningful reps early in the offseason.
“He is a fifth round pick, and there was another quarterback they drafted two rounds earlier this year, in addition to Joe Flacco, who helped them get to the playoffs two years ago, and Kenny Pickett, who’s in the mix as well,” Graziano said.
“So they have four guys. They need to get them all practice reps. Kevin Stefanski, what Louis was alluding to. He put seven-on-seven drills into the rookie mini camp.”
Typically, rookie minicamps are more instructional than competitive, focusing on classroom work and light walkthroughs. But Stefanski broke from that norm to get Sanders and Gabriel early action without having to battle veterans for reps.
“He wanted Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel to be able to get some reps at a time of year when they weren’t competing with veterans for those reps, so Stefanski’s very conscious of trying to make this as good as close to competition as possible among all four of them,” Graziano said.
The Browns‘ quarterback depth chart currently reflects uncertainty rather than hierarchy. Joe Flacco, the veteran who led Cleveland into the playoffs in 2023, is on a short-term deal.
Kenny Pickett arrives in Cleveland hoping for a second chance after a rocky stint in Pittsburgh. Dillon Gabriel, a third-rounder, enters the league as a dual-threat prospect. And Shedeur Sanders, despite being selected later, brings strong pedigree and potential.
Cleveland’s coaching staff faces the challenge of evaluating four distinct quarterback profiles in a limited preseason window.
But if the reps are shared evenly and the competition is merit-based, Sanders could have a real shot at making history, by becoming the lowest-drafted rookie quarterback to start Week 1 since Tom Brady began his rise from pick No. 199.
With Stefanski signaling a willingness to shake up the norm and with strong early support from analysts like Riddick and Graziano, Sanders may soon do more than turn heads-he could lead the Browns’ offense out of the tunnel this September.
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