Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
The Browns may have signed QB Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick, to a rookie contract yesterday, but all the talk centers around QB Shedeur Sanders, a fifth-round pick. All this makes about as much sense as anything else about the Cleveland Browns.
OTAs were open to the media yesterday, a news oasis for Browns fans, so let's get to it, starting with the daily feature we all know and love...
THE DAILY SHEDEUR: There are a lot of sites that will run all sorts of journalistic gymnastics to get Shedeur Sanders in the headline, even squeezing it into a headline about Gabriel's new deal. All it takes is a good throw in OTAs against air to kick off headlines. It was a nice throw, though.
The big news, I guess, came from Kimberly Martin, an ESPN "insider" who reported that Sanders has "fans in the building" who "100% believe he can be the starter". Who these believers are remains a mystery. If it's a third-string offensive lineman, that's one thing. If it's Jimmy Haslam, that's another. But, they're in the building. THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE.
Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders at practice on 6/4/25 (Photo: Getty)
I'm not sure how this is a big scoop, as Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees flat-out says that any of the four quarterbacks can win the starting job, giving Sanders a path. And Dillon Gabriel. And Joe Flacco. And Kenny Pickett. So, yeah, Sanders has a path and is working his tail off. But it won't be easy. At least the rookie QBs appear to be getting more reps($) in this week's glimpse of practices.
MORE ON FREE CASH FOR STADIUMS: You all know the industrial-corporate-political take on the Browns' plan to build a multi-billion-dollar domed stadium: It will be a "boon to the economy" that brings in Taylor Swift concerts and is the magic elixir for Northern Ohio's economic woes. Plus, it doesn't cost taxpayers a dime, since the state can tap into a honey pot of unclaimed funds.
This is all nonsense, of course, but I'm not here to rain on the team's parade, and no one is here to read about dull, debatable notions about public spending. The key from our perspective as Browns fans is that the Senate bill is potentially the missing piece of the funding puzzle when it comes to finding resources for the incipient JimmyWorld complex. The Browns, of course, are delighted with the plan.
Despite the peripatetic whining of some about things like the piracy of unclaimed funds, Governor DeWine is currently reviewing the plan, and it appears to be a seemingly painless way of paying for $600 million in public funding. So, it will probably happen. The dome will likely be quite impressive for those who can afford the tickets.
THERE S A LOT MORE:
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
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