Robert Griffin III reveals why Cleveland Browns, NFL set Shedeur Sanders up ‘to fail’

“It’s horrible,” Griffin said as his wife sat on the couch eating popcorn during his passionate answer. “It’s an absolutely terrible position for a QB to be in. Let’s get real, people. This is the thing nobody wants to talk about. Shedeur Sanders is in a situation where the NFL and the Cleveland Browns have set him up to sink or swim in Year 1. What I really mean by that is, they set him up to fail. Shedeur Sanders is the fourth quarterback on the Cleveland Browns’ roster. … They drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the same draft that they took Shedeur Sanders.

“So no one wants to talk about this because it’s a very difficult topic. Shedeur Sanders is a fifth-round pick. Guys that are drafted in the fifth round typically don’t make NFL rosters. And if they do make NFL rosters, it was because they showed their absolute talent in the preseason and all through training camp and the offseason. But here’s the difference. Most of those guys weren’t quarterbacks. Most of those guys weren’t fighting to be the third or fourth quarterback on the roster. Shedeur Sanders is at a position at quarterback where only one guy gets to play. You’re a fifth-round receiver? You’ve got a chance to make the team. You just got to go out there and show out.”

Robert Griffin III: ‘This is not about Shedeur’s talent’

Sanders was one of the faces of college football during his time at Colorado, and he helped spearhead the Buffs’ turnaround in 2024. He led the nation with a 74% completion percentage as he totaled 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns.

Those stats – along with the tape – are way Robert Griffin III argued Sanders showed he was worthy of being a first-round pick. But based on his current situation, Griffin said Sanders is now in a position to fail. That said, he thinks Sanders is capable of overcoming it.

“Listen, I know the man that Shedeur Sanders is,” Griffin said. “I know the man that Deion Sanders is. I have a great relationship with them. This is not about Shedeur’s talent because, as I’ve stated before, he should have been a first-round pick. That’s what his tape said, regardless of the name on the back of his jersey.

“But the reality of the situation is, they are setting him up to fail. A lot of people think that this confident young man needs to be humbled. There is no better way for someone to try to humble somebody by having them not make an NFL roster and make it as hard as possible for them to make that NFL roster. I don’t think that’s right.”