Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns’ Quarterback “Curse”: An Alarming Development Story

In the competitive world of the NFL, where every opportunity is precious, the story of Shedeur Sanders and his journey with the Cleveland Browns has become a hot topic—but not in the positive way many had hoped. Instead of a young talent being nurtured and developed, many analysts and former players are expressing deep concern that the Browns are repeating old mistakes, putting Sanders’ career in jeopardy before it even gets off the ground.

A Troubled Beginning in the NFL Draft

Shedeur Sanders’s journey to the NFL started with a rocky beginning at the NFL Draft. The son of the legendary Deion Sanders, who was expected to be a top-10 pick according to many mock drafts, ended up sliding down the board. The family’s live draft stream became one of the most cringe-worthy broadcasts in Draft history as Cleveland and then the Saints passed on him. Even Shedeur’s older brother, Shiloh Sanders, realized the gravity of the situation, noting his own potential struggles as a result.

After the Browns selected Dylan Gabriel in the third round, they finally traded up for the 144th pick in the fifth round to select Shedeur Sanders. However, according to some reports, this was done under pressure from ownership, almost as if it were a command: “Take Shador Sanders no matter what.” This opened the door to a series of bizarre and concerning developments about how the Browns are managing one of their most anticipated young talents.

The Decision to Bypass the Baltimore Ravens and the Dire Consequences

One of the most controversial details is that Shedeur Sanders allegedly turned down the Baltimore Ravens. According to Adam Schefter of NFL Countdown, the Ravens planned to select Sanders at pick 141 but received a message back that he “preferred not to go to a place where he would be competing and backing up Lamar Jackson.” Sanders wanted to be in a place where he could play immediately. This decision drew outrage from former players like Alex Smith and Cody Kessler.

Alex Smith called it “insane” and “incredibly shortsighted.” He argued that Sanders passed on the Ravens—a “model of stability” with a successful track record of developing quarterbacks (Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson)—for the Browns, a team notorious for mismanaging quarterbacks and a long history of instability. Cody Kessler, a former Browns quarterback himself, echoed this sentiment, expressing his disbelief that Sanders chose the Browns, a team with five quarterbacks on the depth chart and a reputation for not developing them “the right way.” He believes Sanders should have taken the backup role to Lamar Jackson, learned in a winning culture, and then sought a starting opportunity elsewhere after a year or two.

A different theory suggests that by the fifth round, Sanders may have wanted to go undrafted to control his own destiny as an undrafted free agent, negotiating with a team he chose. However, his decision to choose the Browns—a team that finished the previous season 3-14 and hasn’t had a stable quarterback for a long time—seems illogical if the goal was an early opportunity to play.

Joe Flacco Struggles, Dylan Gabriel Gets Priority, Shedeur Sanders Is Overlooked?

Things took a turn for the worse in September 2025. The Browns named 40-year-old Joe Flacco their starting quarterback. Flacco won the job over Kenny Pickett and both rookies. Sanders is listed as the third-string quarterback behind Flacco and Dylan Gabriel. This may seem normal for a fifth-round rookie, but then Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland “dropped a bomb”: “Shedeur is not even running scout team. Bailey Zappy is running scout team.”

This information is shocking because the scout team is where developmental quarterbacks get their reps. It’s where they learn to read NFL defenses, make NFL-caliber throws, and build chemistry with other young players. It’s literally “quarterback development 101.” When Jordan Love was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2020, he spent three years behind Aaron Rodgers but still got crucial scout team reps, going up against the Packers’ starting defense every day. Tom Brady, a sixth-round pick, worked his way up to second-string in his rookie year, accumulating reps to be ready when Drew Bledsoe got hurt.

In contrast, Shedeur Sanders, who is a highly-rated talent (he completed 74.1% of his passes at Colorado in 2024, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, and was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year), is allegedly being denied these fundamental development opportunities. While Browns quarterback coach Bill Musgrave attempted to explain that the three young quarterbacks (Gabriel, Sanders, and Zappy) have been rotating on scout team, reports from practice tell a different story. And even if they are rotating, the fact that a practice squad player (Bailey Zappy) is getting equal reps with a draft pick is deeply concerning.

The Harsh Reality on the Field and a Grim Prediction

On the field, the Browns have had a terrible start with an 0-2 record. Joe Flacco is struggling, particularly under pressure. In the Week 2 game against Baltimore, Flacco completed just 25 of 45 passes for 199 yards, a lucky touchdown, one interception, and a fumble. With the game completely out of reach, Kevin Stefanski put in Dylan Gabriel, not Shedeur Sanders. Gabriel had an impressive garbage-time drive, throwing his first-ever NFL touchdown pass, which immediately prompted reporters to ask about a potential quarterback change. Stefanski denied it, but if a change were to be made, it would be to Dylan Gabriel—the guy they drafted in the third round who has been getting reps—not Sanders.

This leads to a grim prediction: The Browns will likely stick with Flacco for another few weeks. When they hit a 1-5 or 2-4 record, they will make a change to Dylan Gabriel. Gabriel will show some flashes but struggle with consistency. The Browns will finish with another losing season, and Shedeur Sanders will have spent the entire year watching from the sideline, not developing, not improving, and not getting any chance to show what he can do.

History Repeats Itself and a Dim Future

The history of quarterback development for the Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999 is a long list of failures. They’ve started 39 different quarterbacks, constantly drafting them, putting them in terrible situations, watching them fail, and then moving on to the next one. From Brady Quinn and Johnny Manziel to Baker Mayfield (whom they gave up on and who is now thriving in Tampa Bay) and Deshaun Watson, who was paid $230 million but is now injured and hasn’t been impressive on the field.

The Browns had a chance to do something different with Shedeur Sanders: take a talented quarterback who fell in the draft, develop him properly, let him learn behind the veterans, give him scout team reps to improve—following the Green Bay or Kansas City models that actually work. Instead, they appear to be following their old, failed path. While Sanders may come with some “baggage” from being Deion Sanders’ son—the attention, the pressure, and at times, the “drama”—if they drafted him, they need to develop him.

If the Browns don’t change, if Kevin Stefanski and the coaching staff don’t realize that a highly-graded quarterback like Sanders needs to be given an opportunity and developed, his future could be very bleak. Perhaps trading Sanders to another team might be the best option. Because right now, the Browns are doing exactly what they always do with quarterbacks: mismanaging them into oblivion. It’s a movie we’ve seen before, and the ending is always another failed Browns quarterback, another wasted pick, and another year searching for the answer at the most important position in football. Shedeur Sanders deserves better, and Browns fans do too. But in Cleveland, this is just how they do quarterbacks.