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Shedeur Sanders’ Personal Commitment Under Scrutiny Amid Unfortunate Designation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Austin C. Boyd | Last updated Nov 5, 2025 2:13 PM ET

This year hasn't been as exciting for Shedeur Sanders as he was likely hoping it would be. He fell to the fifth round of the draft despite many expecting him to be a first-round pick.

He joined a Cleveland Browns team that had major question marks at quarterback, but he still hasn't been able to get on the field. Now he's injured, which is only going to make it more difficult for him to get on the field.

However, some are starting to believe that Sanders' absence might be more calculated.

ESPN Analyst Suggests Sanders Doesn't Want to Play

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been battling a back injuryCharles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Sanders hasn't been doing too much to draw attention in recent weeks, but attention follows him. There's no doubt this isn't how he envisioned his rookie season.

Many believe that he's a better quarterback than Dillon Gabriel, who is currently starting for the Browns. However, he can't prove that if he's not healthy. ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi suggested that Sanders simply doesn't want to play.

“What is starting to become a mystery to me is how could he have three different injuries without even taking No. 1 reps all year long?” Grossi asked during Wednesday’s episode of "The Really Big Show," via Awful Announcing. “I’m wondering — I don’t want to say it because people will jump all over me — but, does he want to play? Does he want to play?”

Host Tony Rizzo also gave his thoughts.

“I’ll say it for you,” Rizzo added. “Either these are made-up injuries or somebody doesn’t want him to play or he doesn’t want to play. I don’t know. I don’t know what it is.”

This would certainly be a major scandal if it were proven true. It's unlikely we'll ever find out for sure if Sanders has actually been healthy enough to play. Regardless, this is just another potential distraction that the young quarterback is going to have to deal with.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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