ClutchPoints
Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco sent a heartfelt message to his rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders after a tough preseason finale. In only his second preseason appearance, Sanders was subbed out of the second half of Saturday’s 19-17 win against the Los Angeles Rams.
After the win, Flacco reflected on his days as a rookie, offering Sanders support after a tough night, per Browns reporter Camryn Justice’s X, formerly Twitter.
“I can remember just like yesterday — that’s part of being a rookie. You’re going to get thrown into situations that maybe you don’t think are ideal,” Flacco said. “I got thrown into a game against New England with two minutes left. I fumbled on the one-yard line. They scored two plays later, and that was John Harbaugh’s first preseason game. He was not happy. I wasn’t happy either. It’s part of the game.
“It’s part of what makes a football player is learning how to deal from those situations and learn from them. Yeah, we’ve all been there. It’s part of the game,” Flacco concluded.
#Browns QB Joe Flacco on Shedeur Sanders having a tough outing today, shared a similar experience he had as a rookie that made him better: pic.twitter.com/IrqusozDra
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 23, 2025
Sanders went 3 of 6 for 14 yards in the second half. Browns’ starting QB Joe Flacco started 9 of 10 from the field on 71 yards and Gabriel connected on 12 of 19 attempts for 129 yards and one touchdown.
Hall of Fame running Eric Dickerson, who says he was told by a valid source that the NFL didn’t want to see Sanders drafted, could have a strong reaction to Sanders’ night being cut short. Ahead of being potentially cut, the rookie quarterback didn’t get a chance to showcase himself in his final preseason opportunity.
Dickerson revealed what he was told, per Christian Arnold of the New York Post.
“I tell you this much, what I heard from someone that’s in the NFL that the NFL told [teams] don’t draft him, do not draft him,” Dickerson said. “We’re going to make an example out of him. And this came from a very good source, a very good source.”
Former NFL starting quarterback Derek Carr called out the Browns for Shedeur Sanders. Carr believed sticking with Sanders was the right thing to do and posted about it on his X, formerly Twitter.
“I need to understand why we don’t get to see Shedeur Sanders run this 2 minute drill? Wouldn’t you want to see your young QB operate in this situation? Get him more reps for the future? I didn’t see the whole game so maybe he already showed enough? Help me understand this,” Carr said.
The Browns will trim their roster to 53 players soon.
The post Browns’ Joe Flacco sends sincere message after Shedeur Sanders’ tough preseason finale appeared first on ClutchPoints.
