The Cleveland Browns made a bold call in picking quarterback Shedeur Sanders as the 144th overall pick in the fifth round during the 2025 NFL draft. Soon after, Sanders was placed third on the Browns’ quarterback depth chart behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. Recent rumors, however, suggested that Sanders hasn’t been getting any reps as part of the Browns’ scout team.
Tony Rizzo suggests the same
ESPN’s Tony Rizzo first brought up these allegations during his show. "I'm hearing Shedeur isn't even running scout team, he's literally watching everyone... why is he on the team, why is he here?" - @TheRealTRizzo on what he's hearing about Shedeur Sanders,” ESPN Cleveland posted on social media.
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The former Colorado Buffaloes star went 17-of-29 passing in the preseason with two touchdowns and no interceptions. This followed after finishing 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns with 10 interceptions last season, as reported by Athlon Sports. Sanders ran for four more scores on the ground.
Browns coach responds
Browns quarterback coach Billy Musgrave replied to the points raised by stating, “We’re doing some things to replicate Baltimore’s quarterback Lamar (Jackson) this week with all three guys to really give the defense a good look. Being a scout team quarterback, you’re working on your own craft, but, really, it’s an art form to replicate the opponent so the defense can be ready to do their thing on Sunday,” as reported by Nick Pedone of Sports Illustrated’.
{{/usCountry}}Browns quarterback coach Billy Musgrave replied to the points raised by stating, “We’re doing some things to replicate Baltimore’s quarterback Lamar (Jackson) this week with all three guys to really give the defense a good look. Being a scout team quarterback, you’re working on your own craft, but, really, it’s an art form to replicate the opponent so the defense can be ready to do their thing on Sunday,” as reported by Nick Pedone of Sports Illustrated’.
{{/usCountry}}As per Musgrave, all of the team’s backup quarterbacks, including Gabriel, Sanders, and Bailey Zappe, have been taking scout team reps at practice. This quashed rumors suggesting anything to the contrary.
The Browns are scheduled to face the Baltimore Ravens in their next season outing on Sunday (September 14). The game will be available to stream on CBS and NFL+.
- With inputs from Stuti Gupta