The Cleveland Browns’ decision to engage in a quarterback battle initially seemed like a backward decision. While far from a finished product, Shedeur Sanders showed upside as a rookie in his seven games as a starter.
Moreover, given their incredible age difference and their contracts, he was a far better prospect for the future than his competition, Deshaun Watson. But as one analyst has revealed, the issues with the Colorado alum are too big to ignore.
Time’s Running Out for Shedeur Sanders
From being projected as a first-round pick to being selected with pick number 144, the turnabout for Sanders was intense at the draft. To make matters worse, he was then third behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel on the Browns’ quarterback depth chart.
But after Flacco got traded and Gabriel suffered a concussion, Sanders finally got his opportunity. A mixed bag followed, where he threw for less than 200 yards per game and recorded more interceptions than passing touchdowns.
As a result, he ranked as the second-to-last player on PFN’s QB Impact Metric for the season. But a lot of his issues have been relegated to his positioning as a rookie, combined with Cleveland’s insistence on not giving him reps with the starters.
So, when he took the field, the crew around him was technically unfamiliar to him, as Sanders had to pick up everything on the fly. But nearly at the end of the offseason, with preseason right around the corner, those issues aren’t going away.
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Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic explained the main problem that continues to plague the second-generation superstar. “The biggest flaw in Sanders’ game remains the same: His instinct isn’t to play on time with the offense, it’s to play on ‘Shedeur Sanders time.’”
That issue compounds with every other smaller flaw he has. “Sanders’ footwork remains inconsistent, but processing from the pocket was his biggest problem as a rookie starter. He tended to be either too indecisive or in search of the fastest possible outlet, regardless of the coverage.”
As a result, the end product was dreadful. “Instead of coming up on time and confidently throwing the ball, he hitches, stalls, and sort of freaks out. He’s not sure if he wants that shot over those linebackers and takes too long to decide, ultimately leading to a sack.”
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Those problems showcased themselves during his rookie season. Taking over the starting quarterback job over the final seven games of the year. Totaling 23 sacks in those games, they would have expanded to roughly 56 sacks over a full 17-game season.
As a result, despite the age and upside that he might possess, Monken is choosing to engage in a full-blown quarterback battle with Watson. Baumgardner believes there is just one pathway for Sanders.
“Sanders simply has to be better about playing within the structure of a pass concept, which means he has to be the best-prepared quarterback on his roster,” Baumgardner added. “He’s neither big enough nor talented enough to play with the margin for error he allows himself.”
It remains to be seen how the battle ends and who gets the starter’s nod. But for the time being, it is going to be a long summer for Sanders if he can’t fix the mistakes he’s directly being called out on.