Shedeur Starting, “Redshirting”, and Salvaging a Season?

This has been one of the wilder NFL seasons with regards to results. Let’s check in on the Carolina Panthers season ((WFNY’s Taylor Jedrzejek would be happy)): Over their last six games, they have gone 4-2, and they’ve gone in no way you’d expect. A big win against the Dallas Cowboys 30-27, then a tight 13-6 win over the Jets, a blown out loss to the Bills, another close win over the Packers 16-13, a loss to the Saints 17-7 who are trying to tank for a pick, then a big win to sweep the season against the Atlanta Falcons. But one thing that seems to be carrying over is Cleveland troubles as they turn to yet another starter this week, with drama and intrigue abounding…just like normal.

The Browns are turning to rookie Shedeur Sanders to be the starter in Las Vegas this Sunday, a week after making his NFL debut in relief to fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. There has been much hay made about Shedeur this entire season. Once thought to be in play with Cleveland’s true first round pick, he dropped…then dropped…and dropped some more before being selected by the Browns in the fifth round. The questions were endless: where would he be on the depth chart? Will he get a chance at the starting job since the coaching staff indicated that it was a free-for-all true QB competition in trainign camp? What necessitated the freefall to the fifth for a player that did so well in college? Was he tanking interviews? When he started the first preseason game of the season and played well, the train was untracked, but when he fell apart in preseason Week 2, the answers were evident: he’s not ready.

But the signs all pointed to him getting looks this season, regardless of head coach Kevin Stefanski’s recently reported statements before the season began that this would be a “redshirt season” for Shedeur. A preseason trade of Kenny Pickett to the Raiders pushed Sanders into the QB3 “emergency QB” spot, which would mark him inactive but dressed on Sundays in case something devastating happened to Joe Flacco and/or Gabriel. Another trade occured, Flacco to the Cincinatti Bengals, that eventually moved him up the depth chart even further. When Gabriel went out with a concussion, Sanders was forced into duty and well…”dooty” is a fair assessment of what we saw, and all the reasons he was seemingly kept away from the field became evident.

Sanders has always had the arm talent to make it work in the NFL, but the issue is above the shoulders. Slow processing patterns, a tendency to drift in the pocket and play “backyard ball” while giving up huge sacks were tantamount to the issues we all saw on Sunday. Will those issues continue after he’s received his first reps with the starters in practice this week? By the way, as an aside, this needs to be said: it was an incredibly asinine take by fans and media to be upset that Sanders hadn’t practiced with the 1’s all season. Sanders was the rookie backup to a rookie starter. If for some reason Sanders was given starter reps in practice, it would have been coaching malpractice. Anyways, it remains to be seen whether or not Shedeur can salvage this season for a Cleveland team begging for a savior. Sanders could come out and play well against a bad Raiders defense, but it’s more likely that we see some more growing pains from him. It surely would be nice if the team could get some idea if Sanders could be a guy for them next year, but more likely than not, they will be drafting another slinger next April. Time will tell, but like the NFL, nothing that happens is ever expected.