Op-Ed: Shedeur Isn’t Being Sabotaged — the Browns Just Suck
- Fans blame Browns for not giving Sanders enough first-team reps, but that's typical for late-round QBs.
- Sanders' celebrity fan base is irrational, blaming Browns for issues that predate his arrival.
- Browns' failure to find a franchise QB stems from decades of fundamental flaws, not sabotage of Sanders.
The Cleveland Browns lost Shedeur Sanders’ second NFL start to the San Francisco 49ers, 26–8. Sanders completed 16 of 25 passes for 149 yards. He threw one touchdown and no interceptions.
Most football fans aren’t blaming the rookie QB for the lackluster performance.
Social media comments show constant gripes about the Browns organization supposedly sabotaging Shedeur. Fans claim the Browns didn’t give him enough first-team reps. They also question why Sanders sat behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, whom the Browns drafted two rounds earlier.
Here’s the reality most avid NFL fans understand.
Fifth-round rookie QBs almost never get first-team reps. Teams simply don’t have the time. Late-round QBs enter the league as developmental prospects, and most teams don’t expect them to play during their rookie seasons.
So why do fans expect something different from Shedeur?
One word: Deion.
Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s dad, ranks among the most polarizing players in NFL history. He’s one of the greatest athletes ever, and his celebrity only grew during his coaching career.
By extension, Shedeur enters the NFL as a celebrity quarterback. His fandom operates like a hive. His personality only boosts it. He speaks well, stays humble in interviews, and cites strong principles any time a microphone appears. He’s a very likable player with a very famous father, and he had the entire country tuned into Colorado football.
But celebrity fan bases often lean irrational.
Blaming this Browns coaching staff and front office for some grand sabotage effort is lazy. You don’t reach 42 quarterbacks in 26 years because you’re good at this.
You reach that number because you suck. And the Browns, since 1999, have sucked. Badly.
But they don’t suck on purpose. Suggesting sabotage implies the Browns don’t like making money, which makes no sense for a professional sports franchise.
I don’t need to list every painful stat. If you live here, follow the NFL, or have ever seen the infamous jersey with every failed QB taped to it, you already know. This organization has been fundamentally flawed for nearly three decades — long before Shedeur ever put on brown and orange.
Shedeur’s slow start in Cleveland doesn’t come from sabotage. It comes from organizational incompetence — a flaw that existed long before he became a prospect and may still exist after he’s gone.
More importantly, what benefit would the Browns gain from sabotaging their own rookie? They need a franchise quarterback. If anything, the Browns helped Shedeur and the entire Sanders family. Without Cleveland, he might have gone undrafted.
This isn’t a Shedeur problem. It’s a Browns problem. But maybe, just maybe, Shedeur can be the one who finally turns it around.
The Shedeur Sanders Effect: Navigating Pressure, Patience & Public Image In The NFL
Browns Fans Stand Up: Prime Video Of Shedeur’s Best College Highlights
