Aug 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks on during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns Analysts Go Ballistic Debating Shedeur Sanders

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 6:13 PM ET

A recent conversation between Cleveland Browns analysts Tony Rizzo and Tony Grossi was the perfect demonstration of just how polarizing of a player quarterback Shedeur Sanders is.

Rizzo is a huge fan of Sanders. Grossi is not. Rizzo feels that Sanders has not gotten a fair shake in Cleveland, chalking up his rough performance in the Browns' final preseason game to him playing with third-stringers. Grossi isn't buying it.

The two reporters engaged in quiet an argument during a discussion on ESPN Radio on Thursday, getting into a shouting match over Sanders.

Rizzo said that he is rooting for Sanders and does not quite seem to understand why Grossi has an issue with him, even though the two did ultimately agree that Sanders and Dillon Gabriel would likely both be backups over the next decade.

Oh boy. Grossi and Rizz GOT INTO IT over Shedeur Sanders again pic.twitter.com/R3UnqXCL0G
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 28, 2025

It was a pretty entertaining argument to watch, and it really encapsulates the general feeling surrounding Sanders at the moment.

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is the NFL's most polarizing player

Sanders was expected by many to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft back in April, but instead, he slid all the way to the fifth round, where Cleveland traded up to acquire him. The problem was that the Browns had already selected Gabriel two rounds earlier.

This has created quite the controversy in Cleveland, but head coach Kevin Stefanski has made the pecking order very clear throughout training camp and preseason. Joe Flacco will open the season as the starter, Gabriel will serve as the primary backup and Sanders will be the third-string emergency quarterback.

There actually had been plenty of chatter that the Browns could potentially keep four quarterbacks, but that ended once Cleveland traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month.

It will be interesting to see if Sanders gets an opportunity to play this fall, but it would almost surely require both Flacco and Gabriel to falter.

The most ironic part about all of this is that the Browns may very well just draft a quarterback in the first round of the draft next spring.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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