Deion Sanders Retweets DeMarcus Cousins Saying 'The Shedeur Haters in Shambles'

Shedeur Sanders started his NFL career off in a strong fashion, finishing 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers on Friday.

And that had his defenders out in full force, including former NBA player DeMarcus Cousins, who posted the following (and was reposted by Colorado head coach Deion Sanders):

The haters will probably point out that Sanders' strong performance came in a preseason game and not the real thing, which is true. There's also the reality that Sanders is currently fourth on the depth chart, engulfed in a crowded quarterback battle that also includes Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Both Pickett and Gabriel were unavailable on Friday with injuries, while Flacco was healthy but held out of the contest. Tyler Huntley was added to the roster to give the Browns another option at quarterback on Friday besides Sanders.

Now, whether Sanders will remain fourth on the depth chart going forward remains to be seen. But one preseason game is not exactly a full redemption arc.

There's also the strange nature of the redemption story in the first place. The large majority of people were absolutely stunned that Sanders dropped to the fifth round of the NFL draft. Most projections had him coming off the board in the first or second round. Not even the supposed "haters" expected him to be available on the third day of the draft, and you won't find many serious NFL fans who would be all that surprised if he beat out the likes of Flacco, Pickett and Gabriel for the starting gig this summer.

Who Sanders really will be trying to prove wrong going forward is the 31 other NFL teams who repeatedly passed on him. Perhaps a few of those general managers will be in shambles, though they may also be fine with quarterbacks who generate far less headlines and debate.