Nothing is given: How Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft fall created the edge the Browns needed at quarterback
CLEVELAND, Ohio — From a draft celebration that never happened to starting NFL quarterback in just eight months — Shedeur Sanders’ journey hasn’t followed anyone’s script but his own.
The Browns rookie quarterback, once projected as a potential first-round pick who might go as high as second overall, instead experienced what Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot called “the biggest free fall in the draft that I can ever remember.” That dramatic slide to the fifth round could have crushed a lesser player’s spirit. Instead, it’s become the fuel powering Sanders’ remarkable rise.
What makes Sanders’ approach so refreshing is his clear-eyed understanding that nothing is guaranteed, despite now being named the starter for Cleveland’s final four games. As Cabot observed during Wednesday’s media session, “The thing that stood out to me is the fact that he understands that he doesn’t have this thing locked up, that he realizes that he has to go out and prove himself in every single one of these final four games to try to convince the Cleveland Browns that they don’t have to draft a quarterback in the first round of the draft or high in the draft.”
This awareness manifests in surprisingly candid moments, like when Sanders revealed uncertainty about his own future after an interaction with Titans rookie Cam Ward. Cabot summed up how Sanders described his interact with Ward as, “’Dude, I just have to get through these next four games. I don’t know my situation. You know your situation as the No. 1 pick.’ But as the fifth-round pick, Shedeur Sanders doesn’t know exactly what his future holds.”
Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock believes this attitude represents exactly what you want in a quarterback. “This is that sort of underdog or hungry dog mentality. Maybe really everything happened exactly the way it needed to for him. Maybe this will be the best thing for him, that it will give him that edge.”
The story of Sanders’ transformation began long before he took his first NFL snap. It started with that draft night disappointment, continued through being relegated to the QB4 spot in training camp and being isolated on his own practice field — experiences that forged his current mentality.
“I think getting knocked down so far really was probably the best thing that could have happened to him for his career,” Cabot reflected, drawing a parallel to Baker Mayfield’s journey. The difference being that Sanders’ humbling “happened in a more compressed time frame” than Mayfield’s years-long process.
The results speak for themselves. After just three starts, Sanders has already shown remarkable growth, accuracy, and resilience — taking 13 hits from the Titans defense in his last outing yet continually bouncing back to deliver pinpoint passes.
With the Bears’ ball-hawking defense up next in brutally cold Chicago conditions, Sanders faces his toughest test yet. But if his rapid development continues, this Sunday might just be the next chapter in what’s becoming one of the NFL’s most compelling comeback stories.
Want to hear more about Sanders’ underdog journey and what the Browns coaches are saying about his development? Don’t miss the full episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast for exclusive insights and analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
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