Former QB shares gloomy outlook for future of Browns' Shedeur Sanders

During his introductory news conference on Tuesday, new Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken declined to commit to 2025 rookie Shedeur Sanders as the team's starting quarterback heading into springtime workouts. 

On Wednesday, former NFL quarterback and current analyst Tim Hasselbeck addressed how he and others around the league view Sanders this winter. 

Would any team "build around" Shedeur Sanders this winter? 

"I think there are things he does at the position extremely well that you need to be able to do well to play in the National Football League," Hasselbeck said about Sanders during the "Get Up" program. "That's the good side of it. I think the bad side of it for him, I just think physically, there are limitations that he has as a player that I don't know that anyone is building around that. Could he end up playing in the league for 10 years in some role as a backup and then maybe get an opportunity to play? Sure. He could." 

Teams around the league said plenty regarding their feelings on Sanders when they let him slide to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft before the Browns took a flier on the polarizing prospect. While Cleveland went 3-4 in games that Sanders started as a rookie, his overall numbers seem to prove Hasselbeck's points. 

Per Pro Football Reference, Sanders finished the regular season ranked last in the league among qualified quarterbacks with a 56.6 percent completion percentage, 41st out of 42 players with a 68.1 passer rating and 40th out of 41 players with an 18.9 adjusted QBR. 

How Shedeur Sanders is viewed around the NFL 

"There isn't a single team of the 32 that would look at him right now and be like, 'Yep, I want to build around that guy,'" Hasselbeck added about Sanders. "...I'm not saying that to be demeaning or mean. That's just, that is the reality of who he actually is as a player and how he is viewed...around the league."

As of the first Wednesday of February, Sanders and veteran Deshaun Watson seem to be the favorites to win the Cleveland starting job during a summer competition. That said, it's far too early to know if Monken has a player currently not on Cleveland's roster in mind for the role.