Shedeur Sanders gets vote of confidence as Deshaun Watson continues his reign with Browns

Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Shedeur Sanders is sitting on the bench behind starter Deshaun Watson, and considering that Watson has helped lead this team to the No. 2 spot in the AFC North, much better than last season, some may think Sanders will be a bench-warmer all season.

But if Sanders wants to take the field, one former NFL player thinks he'll have that chance. He's also telling him to be ready.

Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms gave Sanders advice on Pro Football Talk on Thursday. He said that Sanders' time will come.

Chris Simms says Shedeur Sanders should be ready for his chance

After a little trade talk, Simms said regarding Sanders, "What I would tell him right now is, 'Hey, just be ready where you are at. You're at a place you know the offense, they got a little positive vibes going. The play-caller is pretty good. You're behind a guy who has a history of being hurt a lot over the last four or five years.'"

It's certainly the case that Watson has been unavailable for a while due to injuries, so it's a good point.

"Be ready when your time comes, because if you make me bet, you're going to have that time," Simms added. "It might be just a game. It might be a few quarters. I don't know what it'll be, but be ready. It's definitely better than going somewhere else, trying to learn a playbook..."

He added, "I would tell Shedeur, hang where you are right now. If you want to think of getting traded, go down that path after the season."

It's good advice for a young quarterback who probably feels fairly invisible right now. A backup quarterback is a more important role than many realize, but it becomes apparent the second QB1 goes down.