It was a slide of a different kind. Going down from being the top 3 picks in the draft to sliding to the 5th round (144th overall) was already enough stressful, but now all the news about Shedeur Sanders in his rookie season is bringing down his stock. None of the analysts predicted him to be the starter. While it was all about arrogance and skipping interviews earlier, HOFer Joe Thomas even called the hate unfair. He revealed how the love Shedeur gets on social media harms his presence on the field.

After he got the last reps in the training camp, the rookie hasn’t lost hope about not getting reps with the first-team offense. While talking to the reporters, he confessed, “I don’t think that’s, that’s not my place, to answer, to even be able to get the answer to that. I feel like it’s not in my control, so I’m not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is. Like, there’s a lot of people that want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I’m here, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity, so whenever that is, it is.”

The coaching staff says it’s about structure. About giving everyone a fair shot. QB coach Bill Musgrave even admitted, “I don’t know if there’ll be any earth-shaking changes” next week. Translation? Shedeur Sanders’ not climbing the ladder anytime soon. He’s still at the bottom. And you don’t jump three spots in Cleveland’s offense by being quiet. Not when the other guys are stacking veteran reads and moving the ball. Right now, this competition looks like a formality. Everyone’s getting looks, sure. But only some are getting chances.

But what makes this trickier? Shedeur Sanders isn’t melting. He’s not spiraling. “It doesn’t faze me,” he said. That’s either confidence or armor. Maybe both. “We came all the way from an HBCU to a Power Five, and now we’re here.” It’s not just a resume, it’s a mindset. He knows what the climb feels like. He’s done it before. But this time, he’s not the face of the program. He’s not the son of the head coach. He’s just a fifth-round rookie trying not to get lost in the mix.

And off the field? He’s not helping himself. Two offseason speeding tickets. One more whisper follows him through the facility. He says he hopes people “learn from my situation and not drive fast at all.” Maybe he’s growing. Maybe he’s just trying to keep the headlines quiet. Either way, the sheen is wearing off.

Kevin Stefanski quits on Shedeur Sanders as a starter

Four quarterbacks. One job. And the guy who walked in with the biggest spotlight might be the furthest from the job right now. The Cleveland Browns, who just tied for the worst record in the league last year, opened camp with a mission: evaluate every arm in the room. Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. It’s a full-blown, no-frills QB competition. But after the first four-day stretch, one thing’s already crystal clear: Shedeur’s on the outside looking in.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said reps are being tracked with a pencil, not a pen. “We’ll take in how guys handle situations and adjust,” he said. Sure. But the opening order said plenty. Day one? Pickett ran the show. Day two? Pickett and Flacco split. Day three? Still no first-team reps for Sanders. That’s not rotation. That’s hierarchy. And if you’re the only QB not touching the ones after nearly a week of camp, you’re not in a battle, you’re holding a clipboard, waiting for someone else to falter.

For Shedeur Sanders, this isn’t just another setback. His arrival in Cleveland wasn’t quiet. The name matters. The expectations followed. There were whispers of untapped upside. And so far, he has barely seen action that matters. The Athletic‘s Zac Jackson revealed that he’s thrown to the equipment staff more than the receivers. You can’t impress if no one’s watching your throws.

Right now, Shedeur Sanders knows exactly where he stands, last in the pecking order. It’s not personal. It’s production. Or rather, the lack of opportunities to even produce. Because in a quarterback battle, you don’t win the job off vibes. You win it off volume. And the rookie isn’t getting enough to shift the tide.