Shedeur Sanders has already completed a preseason game, and had some decent showings. There were mistakes here and there, but when isn’t there for someone young like him. However, despite being a top prospect throughout the draft, and touted as a solid QB, is he really going to be the Browns future? Or is he simply a stop gap, filling in the next few years while the Browns look to someone better.
Why He’ll Stick Around
First of all, the Browns have had QB problems for years, and they need all the help they can get. Shedeur has shown good signs as a QB, and while he does have some flaws, there really isn’t anyone without them. He has good throwing power, a decent play IQ, and while his mobility has been a problem sometimes, it still can be worked on. A lot of the flaws presented in college and through the draft he has been working on throughout practice, improving on them to become better. That is a good sign he is committed, and is also looking to get better to secure his spot.
The Browns also have seemed like they are willing to get him up to speed, with drills, and also with him being started in the first preseason game for a decent amount of time. While the preseason usually plays everyone, with players who won’t even make the team getting a start, giving him that chance is a good sign. Every rep counts, and showing that they want him out there for a solid amount of time is a good sign they want him around. While were very early in the season, with a lot of things that could occur, these are features of a team willing to let their rookie QB do his best.
Why He May Just be a Bridge
While I personally do think Shedeur isn’t a bridge, there always is that chance. Whether the Browns are looking at someone like Arch Manning, or even someone who may just be a freshman this year, there always is the chance this is nothing more than someone getting us through the valley. The Browns didn’t spend a whole lot of value on him, and if the time comes when his contract is up, and the Browns need to pay him, if someone else is being scouted he may simply not get paid. Or the Browns may trade him, get as much value as they can if he preforms well, and snag their hopeful franchise QB.
The value of QBs hasn’t stopped rising for the past decade, and every year is another year where contract prices get higher. Of course salary cap and other methods of paying that money grows with it, but those contracts get expensive, and get expensive quickly. If the Browns aren’t looking to keep Shedeur around long term, they’ll have no urge to pay him money. While I don’t think they’ll let him walk, it may be better to not pay the money, and stay cheap for a few more years at the position with the rookie contract of their new franchise player. It’s hard to determine though, since we are so early into this process, and we have years of time before anything is made close to clear.
My Guess, if I Had to Make One
I personally don’t think Sanders is going to be a bridge. He has good signs of being a playable and willing QB, and has the skills to back it up. While it may take a year or so to get comfortable to NFL speed, that is often normal and he’ll grow quickly. Despite some of the flaws we saw in the preseason game, there wasn’t anything that seemed to be untrainable, that couldn’t be removed by drills. While he was drafted late in the draft, it takes something special to even be considered as the number one overall, something that isn’t found in everyone. Just that consideration, no matter how broken it may have been, required something that gave that idea in the first place. It’ll be a journey, and it won’t happen in one week, but I do think Sanders has the potential to become someone remembered in the Browns history books.
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