January 2025 — Shedeur Sanders walked into Cleveland Browns camp expecting competition. Instead, he received the cold shoulder. Head coach Kevin Stefanski’s wishy-washy approach to the quarterback battle left Sanders riding the bench with the backup players. The Colorado star barely received first-team reps during early practices. But something shifted recently. Sanders began getting meaningful snaps with the starters. His workload increased dramatically. Teammates noticed the change. The coaching staff’s attitude flipped completely. Now, an NFL insider has exposed the real story behind Sanders’ rocky Cleveland start.

Thursday’s bombshell was dropped when 92.3 The Fan‘s Ken Carman didn’t hold back about Cleveland’s quarterback situation. The radio host went straight at coach Kevin Stefanski over Shedeur Sanders’s treatment during his podcast appearance. Carman laid out the brutal reality facing Sanders in Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room. “If he goes out there and he doesn’t look good, do I get mad at him or do I get mad at the Browns? Because I think that you have a guy who has a high ceiling,” Carman said during the show. His frustration was obvious as he painted Sanders as a victim of poor organizational planning.

The Colorado product sits buried at QB4 behind Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and rookie Dillon Gabriel. Adding Tyler Huntley on Monday has made things worse, creating a five-quarterback logjam that’s killing development time for young players like Sanders. Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III jumped into the debate on social media, firing shots at Cleveland’s front office. “Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail in Cleveland. But God’s got him showing out even with limited reps,” Griffin posted on X. His words carried extra weight since he played for the Browns during their disastrous 1-15 season in 2016.

Carman doubled down on his criticism, questioning Cleveland’s long-term planning. “I can see myself Monday if he goes out there and struggles on Friday, going, well, why weren’t you working with him then? Why weren’t you doing these things with him?” he asked. He pointed out how the team already knows Flacco’s limitations but isn’t investing in Sanders’s future. The Browns’ quarterback room has become a circus act with joint practices approaching. Sanders has flashed potential in scrimmages and 7-on-7 drills, but limited reps are stunting his growth. Camp observers note his natural arm talent and football IQ—traits that made him a draft target.

Cleveland’s dysfunction with quarterbacks runs deep historically. From Johnny Manziel to Baker Mayfield, the franchise has a track record of mishandling young talent. Sanders represents another test case for an organization desperate to break negative cycles. Despite the mounting criticism and chaotic depth chart situation, the Browns decided to make a surprising career move for Sanders.

Shedeur Sanders gets his shot as Browns starter against Panthers

The moment Shedeur Sanders was waiting for finally arrived on Wednesday. Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that the fifth-round rookie will start Friday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. After weeks of sitting at QB4 on the depth chart, Sanders catches his break thanks to injuries hitting the quarterback room. Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel are both nursing injuries, clearing the path for Sanders to take first-team snaps. The former Colorado star has been stuck behind veteran Joe Flacco, who holds the unofficial QB1 spot heading into the season. Pickett was slotted as the backup before his injury, with Gabriel at the third string.

Sanders’s opportunity comes at the perfect time after Cleveland moved on from Deshaun Watson, who is expected to miss the entire season with an Achilles injury. The quarterback competition has been the hottest topic all offseason, with four players battling for the starting role. Despite limited first-team reps during camp, Sanders kept his head up and stayed focused.

“That’s not my place to answer,” Sanders told reporters when asked about his lack of opportunities. “I feel like it’s not in my control, so I’m not even gonna think about that or have that even in my thought process.” His work ethic paid off during camp’s Day 4, when he threw three touchdowns, including one to rookie Luke Floriea. That performance likely caught coaches’ attention.

Cleveland plays three preseason games before opening the regular season on September 7 against the Bengals. Sanders finally gets his chance to prove he belongs in the NFL quarterback conversation.