Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders was one of the most polarizing players in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ever since he declared, the debate has raged about his talent and where he belongs.
While there were always going to be dissenting opinions about his draft spot, the fact that he wasn’t chosen until the fifth round shocked everyone. Even Sanders’ detractors expected him to go earlier.
Now the question is whether he will start in 2025.
Is Shedeur Sanders the Worst Possible NFL Backup QB?
The Cleveland Browns seemed to surprise even themselves by selecting Sanders. They’d been heavily linked to him, but when they didn’t take him early, most assumed they weren’t interested. When they chose Dillon Gabriel in the third round, it seemed to seal Sanders’ fate. But then they finally pulled the trigger in the fifth round.
The Browns have been struggling to find a franchise quarterback for years. They made one of the worst trades in NFL history for Deshaun Watson, and now he is still on the roster along with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.
Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, said recently that he thinks they made a serious mistake, calling Sanders the worst possible backup they could have.
“I love Shedeur as a quarterback. I thought talent-wise, he should have been the first quarterback. The last thing you want is him as a backup with the potential circus, Deion being like, ‘He’s better than that guy, why isn’t he playing?’ So in that sense, he’s probably the worst backup you could possibly have in the history of earth,” Portnoy explained on Barstool’s podcast.
He added that it’s possible the Browns took a chance and let him slide to avoid chaos. “If you don’t think he’s a first-round, franchise quarterback, then you’re in this sticky predicament.”
"He's probably the worst backup you could possibly have in the history of earth."@stoolpresidente thinks teams let Shedeur slide because they didn't want to deal with what happens if he's not the starter. @BarstoolRundown @KFCBarstool @BarstoolBigCat pic.twitter.com/3PKI42ZtFG
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 28, 2025
Portnoy and his co-hosts said that, in many ways, being a backup quarterback in the NFL is harder than being the starter. They noted that backups have to be OK with not being in the spotlight — something Sanders can’t seem to avoid.
“It is the one position in all of sports where you don’t want the microphone in front of the backup,” Portnoy said about why the Browns should have passed on Sanders. “You want the backup just to be quiet. That means you don’t think he’s that great, and there’s plenty of guys you can get to be the backup who will gladly keep their mouth shut coming out of the draft, not trying to be the starter right away.”
Will Sanders Start for Browns in 2025?
Most analysts think Flacco will be the likely Week 1 starter, with Pickett as his veteran backup. This leaves Gabriel and Sanders to battle it out for the third-string spot.
Usually, the third-string quarterback doesn’t get much media attention, but Sanders can’t seem to avoid it. His famous father, Deion Sanders, his success at Colorado, and his unusual path have made sure he’ll stay in the spotlight.
Of course, all of this is speculation. There’s no way to know how Sanders will respond to being a backup, if or where he’ll win a spot on the roster, or how he’ll adapt to the pros. Only time will tell how Sanders will perform, but there’s no doubt that all eyes will be on him during his journey.