CLEVELAND, Ohio — You, too, can help Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders succeed in his first NFL start. Yes, you, Mr. couch cushion coordinator.
Just like Sanders needs a left tackle to protect his blindside, a receiver to outrun corners and a coach who calls good plays, he needs a realistic standard to shoot for.
That’s where you come in.
The rookie will start his first game this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend, and to some, this development is long overdue. In their minds, the rookie fifth-round pick should’ve never dropped so far in April’s draft. The Browns have been hiding his talents ever since. And this is Sanders’ chance to reset the record and seize a starting job.
Right, Shedeur?
“I don’t think too much into that,” Sanders said when asked the QB1 question Wednesday. “I think in the moment, (the) present, today. I go over the game plan and make sure I execute that. When you start moving too fast in life sometimes, you miss the small details of things. So, I never want to overlook anything.”
Call it sound advice for his supporters.
For all the talk of Cleveland slow playing Sanders, history tells us he’s ahead of schedule, if not moving too fast. Since 2000, only 17 of 58 quarterbacks (29.3%) selected in the fifth-round or later have started a game during or before Week 12 of their rookie season (Sanders will make 18). Only seven threw for 200 yards. Only three finished with no interceptions. Only two of them won the game.
None debuted with Sanders-sized expectations, and he shouldn’t either. His job is hard enough as is.
Need I remind you: Sanders is already playing behind the league’s 27th-best offensive line, according to ESPN’s pass block win rate. He’s already throwing to pass catchers who drop passes at the NFL’s fourth-highest rate. And we’ve already seen a preview of Sanders’ fit with this supporting cast.
He completed 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards against the Ravens on Sunday. Only one other player (Justin Fields) has thrown for less than 50 yards on more than 15 pass attempts over the last two seasons. And only a select few quarterbacks can overcome a struggling supporting cast.
Sanders can benefit from a week of practice and a gameplan designed around him. But he can’t change his surroundings in seven days. And we can’t expect him (or anyone) to change this culture until more help arrives.
To those flexing their wrists like Sanders does after a touchdown pass, now is the “perfect timing” for patience.
The question isn’t (and never was) whether Sanders could play well enough this season to stop the Browns from selecting another quarterback in next year’s draft. It’s whether he can show enough promise to suggest he can start here eventually. As in, next year, down the road, in the future.
Of course, Sanders believes in his talents today.
“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope, and I would be doing a disservice to myself and disservice to the organization if I didn’t feel like I am the guy.” he said Wednesday.
But let’s not hold him to those words before he’s ready. Let’s pretend this week — for Sanders’ sake — that he is, in fact, a fifth-round prospect. And let’s give him the grace afforded a day three draft pick making his first start.
If he throws for 200 measly yards, he joins the short list of best late-round debuts this century. If he wins the game, the list will shrink. And if he does both without turning the ball over, he’ll be the first late-round quarterback this century to check all three boxes.
But first, as Sanders said Wednesday, “The game’s got to speak (for itself).” The left tackle needs to block. The receivers need to get open. The coordinator needs to call plays.
And here’s where you come in: Sanders needs to move at his own speed.
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