From LeBron James to Johnny Manziel, Shedeur Sanders received plenty of love and praise for his first stint as a starter. Fans and sports stars have kept a close eye on Coach Prime’s son. And Sanders isn’t a stranger to the spotlight, so it wasn’t surprising that his injury, coming right after an impressive preseason debut, drew just as much attention. While questions about his potential return linger, ESPN and a well-known comedian have also been in the headlines, though for the wrong reasons.

With Shedeur Sanders dominating the conversation daily, ESPN’s First Take brought in comedian Druski. When asked about the Browns QB being listed fourth on the team’s depth chart, Druski expressed his frustration with Kevin Stefanski’s decision. “It’s crazy how they’re doing, my boy, man, honestly,” he said.

But he reminded everyone how Sanders proved himself in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. “I low-key love that he got this chance to play in this preseason game because it showed, like, y’all can doubt him and y’all can say all that stuff y’all saying about him. But what God got for the boy, can’t stop it,” he added.

In that game, Sanders threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 14-of-23 passing, while also adding 19 rushing yards on four carries. Many had been waiting to see if the rookie could make a case for himself on the field. And he did. Druski wasn’t the only one. Sanders’ performance quickly went viral, with praise pouring in across social media, especially on X, from fans and even athletes in other sports.

James and Coach Dawn Staley were among those who praised Shedeur Sanders. James even voiced his belief that Shedeur will be able to keep the momentum going. However, the Browns’ No. 12 suffered an oblique strain after that opener and was sidelined for the matchup against the Eagles. This may have come as costly, as Week 2 could have been his chance to climb the depth chart ahead of Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. Both missed the opener with hamstring injuries.

Their absences left Joe Flacco as the starter this preseason, while Sanders’ spot on the depth chart remained unchanged. For that very discussion, First Take turned to Druski’s opinion. But many fans weren’t thrilled with either ESPN’s choice of guest or his take.

ESPN gets backlash for their guest after discussing Shedeur Sanders’ situation

A lot of fans weren’t exactly thrilled when Druski showed up on First Take talking about the Browns’ depth chart. After all, he’s not tied to the sport, and plenty of people had the same. Taking a hilarious shot at ESPN, a fan wrote, “Might as well brought us on for all that.”

Other netizens began to criticize the network, and one wrote, “Each time I think I couldn’t be more out on ESPN. They find a new low.” Some viewers didn’t mind the coverage on Cleveland and their rookie QB, but others brushed it off as preseason chatter. The real debate, though, was about whether Druski was the right guest for the question. Another wrote, “first take is a joke! influencers? really we taking takes from influencers! we are cooked as a society.”

When it comes to the rookie in question, the spotlight has always followed him. And sliding all the way to the 144th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft only made the attention louder. He’s got celebrity fans watching his every move, and that includes Druski and the rest. Well, the criticism kept pouring with one claiming, “I miss when ESPN was even a semi serious channel. W– is this.”

Things got even more complicated once Sanders landed in a 4 man quarterback race. Sanders’ debut helped draw 2.2 million viewers. It made it the network’s most-watched preseason game since 2015 and its biggest-ever Week 1 audience. While fans are more interested in Sanders and Brown more than ever, ESPN First Take’s approach didn’t sit right with some. Another wrote, “I remember I use to watch First Take every single day, now this show is complete garbage and nothing but engagement farming. I love Druski but having him on First Take tells you everything you need to know about this show and ESPN.”

Anyway, fans won’t have to wait long to see more of him. As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported, Sanders could be back at practice. In fact, he may have a chance to play in the Browns’ final preseason matchup against the Rams.