It's pretty rare that maybe the most talked-about player on a current roster happens to be the fourth-string quarterback, but that's where we're at with the Cleveland Browns these days.
Since the Browns decided to select Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it's been hard to avoid seeing his name all over the national media. Even though he's a fifth-round selection, Sanders' reputation (and his father's, for that matter) precedes him.
What ended up going from a potential first-round storyline to a Day 3 avalanche type of slide now has Sanders presumably locked into the fourth spot on the Browns' depth chart, for now.
Moreover, the fourth-string quarterback has caused a wide range of opinions on his drafting, including some that have completely obliterated Cleveland for making the choice. ESPN national NFL reporter Kalyn Kahler called Sanders her most puzzling pick of the draft, for obvious reasons:
"Several scouts and executives I spoke to really started scratching their heads with the Gabriel pick, but the Browns also taking Sanders made even less sense."
The Browns' drafting of Shedeur Sanders was necessary in spite of creating more drama
Kahler would go on to note:
"Neither quarterback has prototypical size for the position, and I'm not seeing the plan on how these two will split reps with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in camp."
Now, at first glance, she has an obvious point. The idea that Sanders will have a hard time getting reps in training camp is worth mentioning.
However, I think we can all see how this story is going to end. Flacco will be the one to last between he and Pickett. The latter will be traded early on in camp, with an opportunity to be a backup elsewhere.
Cleveland wouldn't have taken such a high-profile player, like Sanders, without thinking through the implications of such pick. He is going to end up getting his reps, for better or worse, in camp. He has to.
He has to.
Whether or not he's talented enough to warrant the reps remains to be seen. But, the fact he is who he is warrants the notion that he's going to get reps.
The bottom line is, the Browns' quarterback room is a mess. It is far from solved. They are far from having a long-term solution, and fans know it. The team knows it. Heck, even the players know it.
Until someone like Sanders or -- under the low probability -- Gabriel prove they can handle the job, Cleveland has to keep swinging. After all, it's the Browns. The Browns and term "franchise quarterback" haven't exactly been synonymous over the years.