Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns’ third-string quarterback, stood at a podium and mouthed answers to reporters. The whole thing was a response to Rex Ryan’s on-air critique, but it landed like a glitch in the matrix. It was weird. And it begged a question that had nothing to do with what Sanders wasn’t saying.

Leave it to a guy like Bruce Arians, the former Browns OC and Super Bowl-winning coach, to cut right through the noise. “Why is the third quarterback getting interviewed?” he asked on the Up & Adams Show, immediately shifting the blame. “He had nothing to do with the game.” Arians sees right through the charade, calling it out for what it is: “Okay, it’s all for be a clicks and you know, he’s a heck of a personality, but the personality can’t come out to you do something on the field and you know.”

Arians even pointed out that it was a “it’s a big week for Dillion Gabriel and a big, big week for the Browns. I mean, making that transition for him even be available to the press. I don’t know why he’s doing it.” You have to protect young players from themselves, from the circus. Arians pointed out a failure in the process. “Whoever’s running their media relations should turn that down,” he stated, making it clear this isn’t just on Sanders. Especially a player, GM Andrew Berry once said, was transitioning from being “fluent in English” to learning “Mandarin.” You don’t throw a guy learning Mandarin into a press conference to discuss geopolitics. You let him study the playbook. Anyway, the result might be harsh.

Clickbait and relentless media narratives. After the Browns named Gabriel their starting quarterback for Week 5’s game against the Vikings, the reporters flocked to the practice session for Sanders’ byte. But the third-string QB came prepared as he went full mime in the locker room, giving a soundless speech. Perhaps it was a tactic to avoid any clickbait content.

The Browns saw him toss 2 TDs against the Panthers in the preseason, which was great. They also saw him get sacked 5 times against the Rams, a harsh reminder that this league chews up potential for breakfast. 

Sanders’ spotlight moment

Sanders is a QB who rewrote the record books at Colorado, threw 134 TDs in college, and holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games (46) with a TD pass.  His assertion last week, “If you see the quarterback play in the league right now, I know I’m capable of doing better than that,” was bound to bring Rex in.

“This kid talks and he runs his mouth,” Ryan blasted on ESPN’s Get Up. “Get your a– in the front row and study and do all that. If I know, the whole league knows. Quit being an embarrassment that way.” The real sting, though, came in the follow-up. “You’ve got the talent to be the quarterback… You should be embarrassed that you’re not the quarterback now.” So while Arians’ point stands, you can’t completely absolve Sanders, either. He struck the match.

When the Browns announced Dillon Gabriel was starting over Joe Flacco, the media naturally turned to the guy who’d just declared himself ready for primetime. What did he think? Instead of a measured response, we got… silent theatrics.

Coach Kevin Stefanski certainly isn’t entertaining the noise. When pressed about why Sanders wasn’t elevated to QB2, his answers were clipped, surgical. He reiterated that Flacco was the backup and his “focus is on this game.” It’s classic coach-speak for: We are not doing this right now. 

In the end, Arians’ advice cut through: “Just keep growing,” he urged. “Go to practice every day, work hard. And when your time comes, be ready.” This counsel came with an assessment of Sanders’ preseason performance: “You know, he looked good in that first ballgame, and he looked really, really bad in the second one.”  It’s what makes his final piece of advice so crucial: “Make sure that you’re preparing to be the starter every single week.” The NFL will definitely give him some time to show his skills.