The Cleveland Browns have officially named fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders as the starter for the team’s Week 12 showdown on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders, but not everybody on the team seems to be especially pumped at the switch.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was visibly uncomfortable, offering extremely short and repetitive answers to the media regarding their upcoming game.
Jeudy was asked what he has seen from Sanders in terms of recent development, with the wideout answering very tensely “He’s consistently growing.”
While asked about how important it would be to get on the same page with Sanders, who will now become the third quarterback to start a game for the Browns this year, Jeudy simply offered “It’s gonna be very important.”
When asked what could be needed to speed up the process of getting on the same page with Sanders, Jeudy responded in a similar tone, “You just need reps.”
As clear as it has been all along that head coach Kevin Stefanski’s preference was to stay the course with third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel as the starter, despite surmounting losses and an at-times pitiful level of performance, Stefanski’s hand was forced towards Sanders’ promotion, due to Gabriel still in the league’s concussion protocol after leaving last week’s game during halftime due to the head injury.
Jeudy only caught three of the seven targets he had against Baltimore, for a grand total of 21 yards. The sixth-year Alabama product is in the midst of one of his worst seasons as a pro, compiling just 31 receptions for 356 yards and one touchdown for the year, after being selected to the Pro Bowl in 2024.
Of course, much of Jeudy’s lack of production can be directly attributed to the team’s woes at the most important position in all of sports, the quarterback.
The team started the offseason with veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in a supposed competition for the starting gig, before drafting two rookies in April. Pickett was sent away via trade in late August, while Flacco started the season at the wheel, but he too was traded away after four starts and a benching that gave way to Gabriel.
Now, it’s Sanders’ turn to run the show while Gabriel is on the mend. Early returns don’t offer a ton of hope though, as Sanders -- who hadn’t received one single first team repetition in practice until this week -- finished the game versus Baltimore with four completed passes out of 16 attempts for 47 yards and one interception.
Even so, Jeudy’s countenance was far from optimistic while answering questions in regards to Sanders, who now gets to become the 42nd different quarterback to start for the franchise since its rebirth in 1999. And, with the team stuck at 2-8 for the season, it’s mighty hard to blame him.