Now entering his second NFL season, Shedeur Sanders once again finds himself in the middle of a closely watched quarterback battle in Cleveland. Deshaun Watson, who missed most of last year after suffering an Achilles tear during the 2024 season, has returned to the mix and currently remains the favorite to win the Browns’ Week 1 starting job. Still, Shedeur is not far behind in the conversation. After flashing promise during stretches of his rookie campaign while the Cleveland Browns struggled for consistency under center, the former Colorado quarterback has built a growing base of supporters who believe he deserves a real shot at QB1. At the same time, skepticism around him has never fully disappeared.

Critics continue to question whether the hype surrounding him matches the player himself. That tension has followed Shedeur since his college days under Deion Sanders, and it remains one of the defining themes of his NFL journey so far. While the Browns quarterback room continues to draw debate heading into the season, Deion Sanders has once again stepped in publicly to defend his son’s image and influence.

“He don’t understand that he could walk in a room with anybody and they’re going to know who he is,” Sanders Sr. told Garrett Bush in an interview. “And demographically, from eight years old all the way to my fans that may be 70, he has their eyes and ears. And they want him to succeed. Some want to see him fail. But either way, they want something. And he got it, man.”

Coach Prime’s claims aren’t that far-reaching.

Long before Shedeur entered the NFL, he had already become one of the most recognizable young quarterbacks in the country during Colorado’s media explosion under Deion Sanders. While most college quarterbacks remain known mainly to hardcore football audiences, Shedeur’s visibility crossed far beyond that. Colorado games became national events during the 2023 season, celebrities regularly appeared on the sidelines, and every part of the Sanders family brand, from NIL culture to social media clips, turned him into a constant topic of discussion.

That attention only intensified during the 2025 NFL Draft. Shedeur’s unexpected slide from projected early-round talent to a fifth-round selection became one of the biggest talking points of the entire draft weekend, with reports surrounding his interviews, confidence, and personality dominating coverage for days. Even after arriving in Cleveland, the attention never slowed down. Ordinary practice clips, warmup throws, press conference answers, and even body language during the Browns’ quarterback competition routinely turned into national debates across television, YouTube, and social media. Few fifth-round quarterbacks ever enter the league carrying that kind of spotlight.

After Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel went 1-3 and 1-5 as starters, respectively, Cleveland turned to Shedeur Sanders. He was 3-4 as a starter, but that’s two wins more than the other QBs on the roster. He wasn’t all that bad either, with his Week 14 performance against the Tennessee Titans bearing a stat line that is a powerful weapon against skeptics. There are a good number of fans who are rallying behind him to keep the QB1 job for this year as well. 

But something that’s remained constant in his time in college and the NFL is the sea of hate. In college, it was because he was seen as a nepotism product, playing for his father’s team. Sanders was clearly the flashier QB prospect in his draft class. That image rarely flies with football fans.

Ahead of the draft, Sanders reportedly bombed his team interviews, and that added yet another facet to the brand of Shedeur Sanders. He tumbled down to the fifth round of the draft after being projected as a top pick. The trolls doubled down on the hate and constantly grilled him for not having a bright future in the NFL. For some critics, Shedeur became symbolic of everything they disliked about modern athlete culture, celebrity branding, flashy confidence, NIL fame, and the nonstop media attention attached to the Sanders family. His jewelry, social media presence, and confidence were regularly used against him, especially during the draft process when reactions online often felt more celebratory than analytical once his stock began falling.

“He has an anointing on his life that he’s a bonafide leader,” Deion Sanders added. “He’s always been, but he’s a good person.”

When the Browns were flailing around at quarterback, Shedeur Sanders held the fort down. The team had no option to rely on him for the remaining stretch of the season, but he delivered better than the others. There aren’t many who are talking about his attitude or behavior problems now.

According to FanDuel, Deshaun Watson is the favorite to win the QB1 role this year, with odds at -174. Shedeur Sanders is next at +136. The veteran is now healthy, forcing Sanders to the background. But he is Watson’s only solid competitor in the QB1 race. It’s a narrow gap between the two, which shows how many have changed their stance on Sanders.

Not too long ago, former Browns QB, Bernie Kosar, praised the Year 2 QB. He confirmed that he enjoyed how he played by the end of the 2025 season. But then came the reality check that worries every single quarterback. 

“Us quarterbacks, we get a lot of credit — too much credit when we win and too much blame when we lose,” Kosar said. “But I really believe we are victims or beneficiaries of the guys around us. We were very void of talent with the Browns on offense last year. So for Shedeur to come in as a rookie with a really limited, talented roster around him offensively, he certainly made plays.”

So, with all that in mind, how is the Browns’ new head coach, Todd Monken, setting up the quarterback room? Well, he might find something interesting after a little chat with Coach Prime. 

Deion Sanders plans to meet Cleveland Browns’ new HC to help with managing Shedeur Sanders

Continuing his conversation with ‘The Barbershop’, the Colorado coach said, “I want to meet him because I think it’s vital that as a coach, not the dad, I can tell him a few things about [Shedeur], how to get him going. That wasn’t asked of me a year ago. I don’t understand it.

“Even a guy like Travis Hunter being drafted to Jacksonville and I’ve had him for the last three [years], don’t you think you would want to talk to me to ask me what gets him going and what backs him off? You would want to know that.” 

Coach Prime has always stuck by his son’s side. After a tough experience in the 2025 draft and during his rookie season, Deion Sanders was always batting for his Shedeur.

That has been one of the defining patterns of their football journey dating back to Jackson State and Colorado. Whether the criticism centered around Shedeur holding onto the ball too long behind Colorado’s struggling offensive line, questions about his confidence being mistaken for arrogance, or anonymous draft reports attacking his professionalism, Deion consistently pushed back publicly. At multiple points during the pre-draft process, he accused narratives surrounding his son of being exaggerated or outright false, arguing that teams were judging the Sanders spotlight as much as the quarterback himself.

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson’s comeback remains the biggest variable for the Browns’ QB room. He looks healthier than ever before, which is why he is the frontrunner in this race. Watson becomes a free agent in 2027, so the Browns might as well let him take the lead for this one last season. 

Shedeur Sanders is still the most proven developmental option they have. He’s seasoned enough to carve out a bigger place for himself, and could use some more help to chip away at his flaws. When Watson does cease to be a factor, Sanders will be the slam-dunk option for Cleveland. After all, it is still not guaranteed that the veteran will be healthy throughout the season.

After a not-so-flashy season in 2025, Dillon Gabriel is firmly out of the starting race. Adding even more complexity to the summer roster is the arrival of rookie quarterback Taylen Green. They’re expected to line up as QB3 and QB4. 

Nevertheless, we’ll find out the actual pecking order when Monken reveals it. For Cleveland, this competition is about far more than simply naming a Week 1 starter. The Browns are still trying to figure out what life after the Deshaun Watson era looks like, while also evaluating whether Shedeur Sanders can eventually become more than just a developmental prospect carrying enormous publicity. And because of the spotlight attached to both Shedeur and Deion Sanders, every part of that process continues to unfold in full public view.