Dawgs By Nature
In the NFL, it’s hard to identify a franchise quarterback. In most cases, you know your team has a franchise quarterback early in a few games into a season. It takes longer for most, but for a few, it is instant.
For Browns QB Shedeur Sanders, it is only 2 starts, but they still count
For the Cleveland Browns, it’s been hard. The team hasn’t had a franchise quarterback since ”The Return”. It’s been a revolving door of journeymen, failed draft picks, huge gambles on trades and every other way you can acquire a player. Some think the franchise is just bad at evaluating quarterbacks or developing them; others are starting to believe that maybe it’s a curse.
After the Deshaun Watson trade debacle, Cleveland is back at square one. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders have played this year, and so far, we only know the ceiling for Gabriel. Despite being drafted ahead of Sanders, Gabriel is a backup with a low ceiling/low floor. He’ll play on time, but his physical limitations and inability to push the ball down the field can hamper an offense.
As for Sanders, it’s too early to say. Why? He’s only started two games.
It’s safe to say that the Browns offense lacks everything from a competent offensive line to adequate receivers. Having a competent line and reliable receiving weapons can help a rookie out in many ways, but Cleveland doesn’t have that. It’s too early to say if Sanders is the guy when the supporting cast has been less than ideal, but Sanders hasn’t shown enough consistently to prove he’s someone the Browns are worth investing in.
The same habits Sanders showed in college have appeared at the pro level. Drifting in the pocket, taking unnecessary sacks. Sanders has shown he can play in the NFL, but no one knows what his ceiling is. Is he a franchise quarterback? Starter? Backup? No one truly knows. However, he has started only two games so far this season.
The results haven’t been ideal, as the Browns offense is still below average, but Sanders’ stats haven’t been great. Sanders has shown he deserves the rest of the season to show what he can do, but at the same time, he hasn’t shown that he can be the guy the team will invest in. Could it change if Sanders plays well the rest of the season? Probably not. Whatever Sanders does will not change what the Browns could do in the upcoming NFL Draft.
All we know is two games as the starter; Sanders hasn’t shown anything that will change the Browns draft plans. Is it fair? It doesn’t matter, but it’s the reality of the situation.
