In the NFL, many position battles are going on. One such battle is who will be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback. The contenders are Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Deshaun Watson. However, some believe there is an unfair bias against Sanders, so is it warranted?
Is the Bias Against Shedeur Sanders Warranted?
Emmy Award-winning host Garrett Bush took to X to chime in on the bias against Sanders. He wrote, “This is why we get a bad wrap as local media amongst a lot of players in the NFL & fans. Watson has a good day, I give him credit, Gabriel makes good throws, I give him credit, But when Shedeur does ANYTHING well, media either downplays it or outright ignores performance.”
“The bias is painfully obvious,” Bush added. “One day picks count against you, the next day they aren’t a big deal, one day the tracker is gospel, the next day we ignore it because the wrong person happens to be sitting at the top of it. I’ll continue to deliver knowledge, not narrative.”
The bias against Sanders is a bit odd, as Gabriel and Watson have not shown themselves to be significantly better than him during regular-season football. Last year, Gabriel got a 64.0 grade and ranked 36th at his position, while Sanders got a 63.0 grade and ranked 37th according to PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Watson missed 2025 due to injury. The last time he played football was in the 2024 NFL season, during which he earned a grade of 59.9 and ranked 40th in the league.
Another reason that the negative bias towards Sanders is odd is that the Browns are in a rebuild mode. Cleveland is not expected to be a playoff contender; instead, their main goal is to build around young, developing talent.
If Sanders were struggling on a team with playoff or even Super Bowl expectations, the overtly negative slander against him would make a bit more sense. However, if the former Colorado star wins the job and has a mediocre to bad season, a high draft pick for Cleveland is not necessarily a terrible thing.
PREDICT THE NFL SEASON: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
If the Browns do end up picking high in the draft next year, it is a very good class. Standout players such as Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons could all be wonderful additions to Cleveland if the Browns do pick high.
However, the draft is in the future, but what about the present? Well, the preseason will be the best time for Cleveland’s coaching staff to evaluate the quarterback battle.
For the Browns’ first preseason game, they will travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears. For the other two games, they will host the Buffalo Bills, then the New England Patriots.
Whoever the starter is will begin their season by taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are coming off a season where they won the AFC South. Part of the reason was due to a good defense. So whoever starts for the Browns will have a difficult task.
Hopefully, all three quarterbacks will be treated equally by the media in Cleveland for the rest of the quarterback battle, as it carries huge implications for the franchise’s future.
