Sportsnaut
Some NFL fans may already be getting sick of it, but there’s no denying that Shedeur Sanders is bringing a lot of eyeballs to the Cleveland Browns. For one, his preseason debut drew in over 2.2 million viewers. That game was one of NFL Network’s two most-watched matchups since 2015.
Of course, it may be a while before Sanders sees any action during the regular season, especially with him landing as the Browns’ third-string quarterback. While it’s not unreasonable for 40-year-old starting QB Joe Flacco to either get benched due to a string of losses or possibly even suffer an injury, third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel is still ahead of Sanders.
Nevertheless, Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce believes the Browns shouldn’t wait around. He “would love” to see Sanders as the Browns’ starting QB right away, since it’s what the people want.
“Put him in coach! Give the people what they want,” Kelce said. “The world wants to see him go out there and not only play, but have success. At this point, guys are rooting for him. This isn’t anything against Dillon; this isn’t anything against Joe. I’m just saying the excitement is there for him to go out there. He’s going to put eyes on the screen, he’s going to bring people to the game. It is what it is. I would love to f–king see it, man, I would love to f–king see it.”
Based on the TV ratings, Kelce isn’t the only football fan who would like to see Sanders receive more opportunities. Still, we wouldn’t expect Sanders to start a game for the Browns any time soon.
After all, that situation would likely only present itself if both the QBs ahead of him on the depth chart got hurt. Fifth-round rookie quarterbacks don’t often get to start, unless the season has already spiraled out of control.
With head coach Kevin Stefanski likely entering the season on the hot seat, he can’t afford to throw his rookies to the dogs right away. Instead, he needs to hope the veteran Flacco can deliver a respectable amount of wins and keep the Browns competitive into December, if possible.
Related: Cleveland Browns Reveal Shedeur Sanders’s Role for 2025 Season
More must-reads:
