Shedeur Sanders has found himself in the middle of a media storm after his unusual reaction to Dillon Gabriel being named the Cleveland Browns‘ starting quarterback for Week 5.
The rookie, who has yet to make his NFL debut, responded to questions from reporters by going full mime during a locker room interview, silently gesturing rather than speaking.
The move quickly went viral and drew sharp criticism from both fans and analysts who felt it sent the wrong message at a crucial point in his young career.
Sanders, the fifth-round pick out of Colorado and son of head coach Deion Sanders, later broke his silence with a cryptic social media post.
On X, the quarterback kept his message short but spiritual, writing: “Thank you GOD.”
The timing of the post fueled speculation about whether it was a response to the criticism or a broader statement about his journey so far.
Gabriel, a third-round selection in this year’s draft, will take over as Cleveland‘s starter this Sunday. Gabriel moves into the role after the Browns opened the season 1-3 with veteran Joe Flacco under center. Sanders remains the third option on the depth chart, waiting for his first opportunity to take the field.
Coach Prime backs his son while analysts push back
While Shedeur’s actions earned plenty of criticism, his father offered public support. Deion Sanders, who has never shied away from defending his children in the spotlight, praised his son despite the backlash. That show of approval didn’t sit well with some analysts, including FS1’s Chris Broussard, who argued the quarterback had misplayed the moment.
“This is a misstep,” Broussard said on Thursday on First Things First. “There is no other way to look at this and think this was good, what Shedeur did. … The context is important. And the context here is that Shedeur Sanders is fighting for his football life. … As talented as I think he is, he apparently isn’t ready.
“Shedeur has kind of misplayed the last nine months and the draft process, so has Deion. When Deion came out before the draft and was like, ‘He’s only going to certain teams. … I’m going to get involved with it. That obviously turned some teams off. This is a misstep by Deion and Shedeur.”
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