Through much of rookie camp, training camp and the preseason, Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders said and did virtually everything right. However, in the eyes of some, Sanders' mime incident with reporters, apparently a response to Rex Ryan's criticism, highlights why he slid to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While it's fair to argue that Sanders could have taken a better approach in response to the criticism, one former NFL coach offered an interesting perspective on the situation.
Former Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians is less concerned about what transpired and more curious about the constant reporter interest in the team's third-string quarterback.
When Arians joined Kay Adams on "Up & Adams," she asked what the first thing he thought was after the clip.
"Why is the third quarterback getting interviewed?" Arians responded. "He had nothing to do with the game, that's all for media clicks. He's a heck of a personality, but the personality can't come out until you do something on the field. It's a big week for Dillon Gabriel and a big week for the Browns ... for [Sanders] even being available to the press, I don't know why he's doing it."
"Why is the 3rd quarterback getting interviews?"
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) October 2, 2025
Bruce Arians on Shedeur Sanders @UpAndAdamsShow
pic.twitter.com/FEeampLaBZ
After Adams asked who to point to regarding that decision, Arians responded, "To me, there's no sense to have him available. Whoever's running their media relations should turn that down."
It's a valid point from Arians and a great question from Adams regarding Sanders. While this won't impact the opinion of anyone who viewed Sanders' approach to the interview negatively, it does seem strange that the Browns continue to make him available to the media.
We'll see if that changes going forward, or better yet, perhaps we'll find out how Sanders performs in a regular-season game at some point, depending on how things unfold.
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