Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders is at risk of having his development stunted with the equivalent of a redshirt season in the pros, but he will reportedly be in the Cleveland Browns’ long-term plans no matter what.
According to the Athletic's Dianna Russini, Sanders will only play during the 2025 season “unless things get really weird” in Cleveland – assuming that means injuries or a change of plans for Joe Flacco and/or Dillon Gabriel. Sanders finished fourth in Kevin Stefanski’s quarterback competition but is third on the depth chart after Kenny Pickett was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bleacher Report’s Joseph Zucker believes it could both be good for Sanders to sit out the season behind those two, citing Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s trajectory in his three professional campaigns, and bad for the “Grown QB” optics-wise.
“ Being the third-stringer isn't necessarily a bad thing for Sanders' development right now. Not every rookie quarterback is ready to play straight out of the gate, and rushing them onto the field can be counterproductive,” Zucker wrote.
“For example, the Indianapolis Colts might've been better off effectively redshirting Anthony Richardson in 2023 instead of starting him in Week 1. Now into his third season, Richardson's future in Indy is murky after he couldn't beat out Daniel Jones to be QB1.
“Given the guys ahead of him are an aging Flacco and a 24-year-old rookie, the optics wouldn't look great if Sanders is holding a clipboard all season.
“But the Browns wouldn't have kept him on the active roster if they didn't see any long-term potential in him.”
If it seems tough to follow Sanders’ NFL trajectory, that’s because it is. The Browns valued Gabriel enough to select him with a first-round pick had he stood over six feet tall. Cleveland has two 2026 first-round selections after the draft-night trade of Sanders’ Colorado teammate, Travis Hunter, to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sanders doesn’t seem like the Browns’ future after being selected with a fifth-round pick and never climbing out of last place in the team’s QB competition.
A long-term plan existing for him in Cleveland is a befuddling idea, to say the least.