The constant attention drawn by Shedeur Sanders, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, is doing him no favors as he tries to secure a place on the Cleveland Browns roster for the 2025 season.
Since his arrival, much of the conversation surrounding a team that once flew under the radar -due to poor results and controversial decisions- has centered on him. From the perspective of several league analysts, that focus is not a positive sign for his chances.
According to NFL insider Albert Breer, the level of attention the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback generates is not something head coaches typically welcome.
For better or worse coaches, teams, want the backup quarterback to blend in with the furniture. They don’t want a backup quarterback who’s a celebrity. They don’t want a quarterback backup who, every time their starter fumbles a snap or throws an interception, the cameras are panning over to them. Like, they don’t want that.
Breer continued:
But there’s some level of it being worth it too, right? Like, you have to be good enough to justify everything that comes along with you. If you’re the best player on the team, go nuts. You can have as many camera crews as you want, right? The team’s going to put up with it. If you’re the 40th guy on the roster, there’s gonna be a lot less tolerance for it.
Shedeur Sanders draws attention to whether he plays or not
Following his father’s example, Shedeur doesn’t shy away from the spotlight; in fact, he seems to embrace it. He has the type of personality that enjoys being the center of attention, and for him, that is perfectly fine. The challenge, however, is that while this works in his favor during good times, it also ensures that in tough moments, he faces intense public scrutiny.
For instance, in the recent draft-where he was expected to be among the top picks, potentially even first overall-he instead slid to the 144th selection. Situations like this make NFL teams wonder if there are underlying concerns.
A similar scenario occurred when, unofficially, he was relegated to fourth on the quarterback depth chart.
Still, his performance in Week 1 of the preseason showed he has enough talent to compete for the starting job, even if many expect him to be on the roster bubble.
Heading into the second preseason game, injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel created an opening for him to start again. However, a recent oblique injury suffered during the week has put his availability in doubt. Now, it remains uncertain whether he will take the field for the Browns or watch from the sidelines.
The Browns’ next preseason game will be against the Philadelphia Eagles. It will be important to see who the team’s starting quarterback will be.
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