At the end of a two-day slide during the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders finally found light near the end of the tunnel as the Cleveland Browns selected him with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round. However, joining an already loaded quarterback room, Sanders’ relief might be short-lived.
Shedeur Sanders Might Not Go Past Practice Squad
A trade for Kenny Pickett, the already injured Deshaun Watson, a veteran signing in Joe Flacco, and a rookie drafted 50 spots ahead of him in Dillon Gabriel were the moves Cleveland made before adding Sanders to the roster.
While none of the options sound like certified starters in Week 1, a team insider and sideline reporter, Aditi Kinkhabwala, isn’t so sure about Sanders’ chances.
Unfortunately, Sanders could be a part of the list that is eventually cut by Cleveland. “I’m stunned. There’s a way that I can answer this and I can toe the line and be a responsible sidelined reporter and all that,” Kinkhabwala said on the team drafting Sanders, even as late as they did.
“But I’ll tell you, it completely, absolutely blew my mind in every way possible. Especially after they had taken Dillon Gabriel.”
However, what came next from her was the real shocker.
“Shedeur Sanders is a fifth-round pick. I mean, there’s no guarantee that he makes the 53-man roster. And then maybe he’s on the practice squad.”
So far, there hasn’t been any confirmation from the Browns’ side about their decision, nor should we expect one anytime soon.
Neither owner Jimmy Haslam, head coach Kevin Stefanski, nor general manager Andrew Berry has given any indication about how they plan to proceed with the roster next season. But the quarterback position needs a major overhaul in Cleveland.
Last season, a combination of Jameis Winston and Watson were handling duties for Cleveland, with the latter registering as the worst quarterback on PFSN’s QB+ metric. It feels impossible for this year’s situation to be worse.
But after a summer where Myles Garrett demanded a trade to a contender before re-signing, the focus of the team has to be on returning to the playoffs, and fast.
The jury is still out on what Sanders could turn out to be. But a player who had the potential to be QB1 in the draft being waived before a single game of NFL action would certainly be the latest shocker in a story that has become more unbelievable by the day.