Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Hits New Low Ahead of Week 2
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders remains on the roster but it sounds like his workload has taken a significant dip.
Sanders earned a spot on the 53-man roster as the No. 3 quarterback behind 40-year-old starter Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. The Browns signed Bailey Zappe to the practice squad in August to be the fourth quarterback on the roster.
But according to Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland, Sanders hasn’t even been part of the scout team rotation.
I’m hearing that Shedeur is not even running the scout team. He’s watching everyone. Bailey Zappe is running the scout team. I don’t know if that’s true; that’s what I’m hearing,” Rizzo said on Thursday. “Why is he on the team? Why is he even here? Because his jersey is selling? The Haslams don’t need jersey money, do they?”
Sanders was officially inactive for the first game of the season but served as the emergency quarterback. He could have only seen action if both Flacco and Gabriel were unable to continue in the game.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Inactive for Week 1
Scout team reps may seem minor, but they’re an important step in Sanders’ development. Without those snaps, if he’s limited to simply watching from the sideline, his growth during this crucial rookie season could be significantly stunted.
Sanders’ lack of reps or opportunities has been a conversation since he arrived in Cleveland. In training camp, he worked exclusively with backups. During the team’s final preseason game, he was pulled before a critical two-minute drive to potentially win the game. Sanders played nearly the whole second half, completing just three passes and getting sacked five times before being pulled late.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski addressed the chatter that the team was “sabotaging” Sanders at the end of the preseason,
“Obviously, I don’t concern myself with outside types of things, but I’m committed to his development, just like all of our rookies,” Stefanski said. “So, we’ll continue to focus on getting our guys better, and that’s what we’ll stay committed to, and that’s what’s important to me.”
Shedeur Sanders Unlikely to See Field This Season With Browns
Sanders tumbled in the draft from a potential early first-round pick to the fifth round. Instead of being a future franchise quarterback, he’s been slotted into a developmental role with the Browns.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic said recently that Sanders isn’t expected to see the field at all this season unless something goes very wrong in Cleveland.
“For all the football conspiracy theorists out there trying to decode the real reason the Cleveland Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders, here’s the truth: There is no big secret. The pick wasn’t some master plan from ownership,” Russini said. “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. It will be a process, and the Browns want to keep developing him.”
Russini added, “Don’t plan on seeing the fifth-round pick on the field this season unless things get really weird. Cleveland believes in Joe Flacco’s experience and Dillon Gabriel’s development as the backup.”
The Browns head to Baltimore this week to see the Ravens in a critical divisional clash.
Courtland Sutton Challenges Broncos to Take Weight Off Bo Nix's Shoulders
The Denver Broncos emerged victorious over the Tennessee Titans, notching Sean Payton his first Week-1 win as the team's head coach. However, after making the playoffs last year, the Broncos are being judged on more than just the standings; style points have come into play.
The truth? The Broncos turned the ball over four times, not counting their 0-for-2 effort on fourth-down attempts, both of which resulted in a turnover on downs. Payton's squad was the only team to lose the turnover battle in Week 1 and still win the game.
"Last week teams were 8-1 when they won the turnover battle, and the one was us," Payton said on Wednesday. "You can’t live that way."
Bo Nix's performance is a big reason for the style-point critiques emerging from all corners of the NFL. The second-year quarterback didn't play well, though he had his moments, passing for just 176 yards and a touchdown on 40 (!) attempts, with two interceptions and a lost fumble.
Broncos' wide receiver Courtland Sutton had a decent day at the office, though, catching six of nine targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. Sutton's stat line would have been much higher, though, if Nix doesn't make some terrible throws his direction.
Nix missed Sutton on a botched fourth-down moonball late in the fourth quarter when he was literally wide open. Sutton is getting two touchdowns and eclipsing 100 yards on the day if Nix sees him. The ball instead went Marvin Mims Jr.'s direction.
Nix's lackluster first game of the 2025 season may have certain anxious segments of Broncos Country shaken, but not Sutton. Nix is a perfectionist, so when he turns in a sloppy game, Sutton helps the young quarterback guard against holding onto things too long.
"I love being able to look at [Nix] and say, ‘Hey, we got you.’ Things could be going great and we could be winning 50-0 and I’m like, ‘Hey, we got you,'" Sutton said on Wednesday. "He is a competitor. He challenges himself to be perfect. I tell you guys all the time, that is something you love to see from your quarterback. Someone who wants to be the best version of themselves because that is who they are. That is their character and competitive edge."
A Team Sport
Football is the ultimate team sport, and although Nix threw some passes and made some reads that he surely wanted back, the execution around him wasn't always ideal either. The Broncos' offensive line struggled to protect Nix against Tennessee's ferocious defensive front, while several receivers dropped passes.
Anxious fans and some sections of the local and national press may have their doubts about Nix now, but not Sutton. It's about the collective coming together and winning the day.
"It’s like a subtle, ‘Hey, we got you. It’s going to take all of us.’ Then we keep it moving," Sutton continued. "I think he understands, and he knows that, but it’s not just him. It’s all of us. We all need to be reminded now and again that the weight of the world is not on your shoulders; it is on all of us. We as a team go out there and perform to achieve a victory.”
Sutton's Keys to Victory
The Broncos did just that, defeating the Titans 20-12. Next up, the Broncos travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts, an opponent they defeated late last season. However, the Colts aren't led by Anthony Richardson this time; it's a possibly resurgent Daniel Jones.
The Broncos' offense has to find a way to get back on the horse, pardon the pun. Jones and company will find the Broncos' defense to be a much tougher row to hoe than the Miami Dolphins, but Nix, Sutton, and the offense have to do their part and score 24-plus points, at best, and not turn the ball over three times, at worst.
Sutton laid out his keys to the Broncos winning at Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since 2017.
“The biggest thing is... not putting our defense in the situation that we put them in with putting the ball over. I think if we are able to control the line of scrimmage, control the time of possession, and take care of the opportunities of when we get into the red zone [with] scoring touchdowns and not just field goals," Sutton said. "That will help us as a collective be able to have a chance to come out with a victory."
Broncos head coach Sean Payton did not enter this season expecting to rely solely on his elite defense to win ball games. That mindset hasn't changed. After all, Nix passed for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns as a rookie, giving Payton a very reliable foundation to build upon in Year 2.
But the Colts get paid, too, and they'll be hungry for revenge after the Broncos helped end their playoff hopes last season. Armed with a new defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo, the Colts are hoping for a different result this time around after the Broncos came alive in the second half of last year's action.
"[The Colts] have some good pieces over there. They played us hard last year, and they got a new [defensive] coordinator, but they have some similar pieces," Sutton said. "[They have] some new faces, but similar pieces. It’s going to be on us to have a great week of preparation, so we are prepared to go in there and play fast and continue this fast start.”
