The Cleveland Browns chose to give the starting quarterback job to Deshaun Watson. After a long battle for the starter’s role, the three-time Pro Bowler got the nod over Shedeur Sanders.
Even after the selection, though, the Colorado product has been put through the wringer by certain members of the media. Ryan Clark is taking a firm stand against them, believing their criticisms of him aren’t always authentic.
Shedeur Sanders Is Trending in the Right Direction
From the initial projection of a first-round pick to being selected 144th overall, the drop for Sanders was massive as a rookie. Fighting against Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel for the QB1 nod, he didn’t get any playing time until Week 11.
From there, he remained the starter for the Browns till the end of the season, ranking second-to-last on PFN’s Quarterback Impact Metric. Still, the youngster showed enough potential that he was in the running for the starting role again.
As a result, the former Super Bowl champion isn’t a fan of the constant shots taken at the second-generation star. On his podcast, “The Pivot,” Clark explained why some people were just trying to take advantage of his name.
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“Anyone who has not been impressed by Shedeur Sanders’ composure, poise, and maturity just wants to hate the young man,” he stated plainly. “The way that Shedeur Sanders has handled this situation as a competition, the way that he’s handled the Cleveland media, and the media surrounding shows the maturity of this young man.”
2 things stand out about Cleveland’s QB situation: Deshaun Watson is playing for his livelihood. He got $230M because he was phenomenal in 2020. Since then, neither his health nor his play has been.
Now, a backup again, Shedeur Sanders has shown the intangibles to be a face of a… pic.twitter.com/vtjLY7aBO0 — Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) August 27, 2026
Pointing to direct examples, Clark expanded, “To say when they ask him, ‘What have you gotten better at?’ He said, ‘I’ve gotten better at everything but, more importantly, closer to God. Because despite what goes on in this room about me, I still greet you all with kindness every day.’”
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It remains to be seen how the maturity from Sanders factors into the choices the Browns have moving forward. If Watson isn’t successful over the first few weeks of the year, the team could decide to switch their QB1.
However, the growing feeling has been that the Browns could punt on this season and find their long-term quarterback solution in the 2027 NFL Draft instead. Unless Watson or Sanders can prove themselves viable, that seems to be the likely pathway.
But even as he has ways to go on the field, the youngster is starting to show that he’s mastering the intangibles needed to be a leader at the quarterback position.
