The Cleveland Browns 24-10 victory on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday has given a little dash of hope that maybe... just maybe... the team’s franchise quarterback might already be part of the roster.
On the flipside, the team just took a few steps back in the first round draft order for next April’s event, meaning the chances of landing one of the top arms available in a draft class with plenty of questions circling the quarterback prospects just got smaller.
While Shedeur Sanders’ raw numbers -- 11 completions out of 20 attempts, 209 yards with one touchdowns and one interception -- shouldn’t wow anyone, they were enough to give the Browns their first win in a first start for any rookie since Eric Zeier did it in 1995. But, one game is not nearly enough to appoint Sanders as the quarterback of the future, nor discard selecting a passer once the NFL Draft’s first round begins on April 23rd.
Sporting a new 3-8 record for the year after beating the Raiders, the Browns would now select sixth overall in next year’s draft if the season were to finish today, three spots later than their standing the week before.
Ahead of Cleveland, Tennessee at 1-10 would be picking first overall -- again -- followed by the Giants (2-10), Saints (2-9), Jets (2-9) and Raiders (2-9). Of those teams, Jets and Raiders are sure bets to be locked on the quarterbacks, and the Saints could be looking for a first round passer, as well.
Further down below, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ second win in a row, 27-24 over the Arizona Cardinals, means that the Browns’ second selection in the opening round -- obtained through a draft day trade earlier this year -- is also surrendering spots. If the season ended today, Cleveland would be put on the clock for a second time in the first round at 22, sandwiched between Buffalo and San Francisco, with the Niners still having a Monday Night showdown pending.
Many NFL Draft analysts have pegged some offensive help for Cleveland with this second selection, either by way of a wide receiver or another body for the offensive line.
With head coach Kevin Stefanski waiting a whole day to commit to Sanders for a second consecutive start, right after doing the exact opposite during Dillon Gabriel’s run as his starter, the quarterback position in Cleveland is in flux.
And despite the fact that Sanders has now been assured of -- at least -- one more start, he must do better... a lot better.
Because, even with the win in Vegas, it’s pretty obvious that long-term success is not sustainable on those stats.