Shedeur Sanders makes big statement about Browns situation after controversial comment surfaces

Cleveland Browns rookie and third-choice quarterback Shedeur Sanders raised eyebrows when he said this week that he is "capable of doing better" than at least some of the starting signal-callers in the NFL today. 

It appears that comment wasn't Sanders' way of saying he no longer wants to share a quarterback room with current Cleveland QB1 Joe Flacco and fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel. 

Shedeur Sanders "thankful" to be with Browns

"It's fun going out there and competing every day," Sanders recently told Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "I'm thankful for my situation. I'm thankful I'm able to see ball in a different light and to be able to get a different perspective than I have and I'm able to grow mentally, physically, emotionally, everything, to become my best self. So that's [what] I'm so excited about, is that whenever I'm able to showcase it, you know what, even if it's this year or not this year, I know at the end of the day I'm getting closer to where I want to be."

The circumstances that resulted in Sanders falling to the fifth round of the 2025 draft generated arguably the most-discussed NFL-related topic of the spring. What's now clear is that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski never came close to moving Sanders ahead of Flacco and Gabriel on the depth chart from the start of training camp through the end of August. 

Sanders endured a nightmare outing when he took five sacks and completed just 3-of-6 pass attempts for 14 yards in Cleveland's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams. During his chat with Oyefusi, Sanders suggested he would look like a more polished player if he were to face an opposing defense this fall. 

"Being in this offense from when I first got here to now, I'm 10 times more comfortable in this space," Sanders explained. "So it almost guarantees a certain level of success whenever you get out there and have your opportunity."

Shedeur Sanders understands his situation

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders recently hinted that Shedeur, Deion's son, is "going to get a shot" to start for the Browns later this season. It sounds like Shedeur Sanders doesn't expect that to happen anytime soon. 

"I don't really compare anybody's story to mine, and to me, I know being a believer in God, I'm going to have an opportunity," Shedeur Sanders added during his comments. "... Everything that's happening is intentional, and you don't really get fazed by anything. Of course, I want to start, but my reality is I'm not going to start, and that's fine because I'm able to live those reps through Joe. I'm able to live those reps through talking to (injured Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson), through Dillon, through everybody that's in the room. So I feel like I'm happy that I'm able to see different perspectives."

As of Friday morning, ESPN BET had the 1-2 Browns as massive 9.5-point road underdogs for this Sunday's matchup at the 2-1 Detroit Lions. If that game becomes a laugher, Gabriel and not Sanders could replace Flacco at Detroit's Ford Field.