Shedeur Sanders Reportedly Unlikely to Play in 2025 'Unless Things Get Really Weird'

If you were hopeful of seeing Shedeur Sanders work his way up the depth chart and play at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in 2025, then prepare to be disappointed.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported Saturday that Sanders is unlikely to get any reps under center "unless things get really weird."

The NFL insider added that "there is no big secret" to Cleveland's decision to take the former Colorado star in the 2025 NFL draft, and the pick wasn't made at the behest of ownership.

"It was GM Andrew Berry's call, rooted in his belief that Cleveland's coaching staff could bring out the best in Sanders and help him grow into an NFL quarterback," Russini said. "It will be a process, and the Browns want to keep developing him."

Sanders looked good in his preseason debut. He went 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Cleveland's preseason finale was a different story. The fifth-round pick had just 14 pasing yards on six attempts, and his feel in the pocket was sorely lacking.

Being the third-stringer isn't necessarily a bad thing for Sanders' development right now. Not every rookie quarterback is ready to play straight out of the gate, and rushing them onto the field can be counterproductive.

For example, the Indianapolis Colts might've been better off effectively redshirting Anthony Richardson in 2023 instead of starting him in Week 1. Now into his third season, Richardson's future in Indy is murky after he couldn't beat out Daniel Jones to be QB1.

Given the guys ahead of him are an aging Flacco and a 24-year-old rookie, the optics wouldn't look great if Sanders is holding a clipboard all season.

But the Browns wouldn't have kept him on the active roster if they didn't see any long-term potential in him.