Despite Shedeur Sanders stepping in towards the tail end of the Cleveland Browns’ season and delivering glimpses of strong potential, the team hasn’t necessarily committed to him as their top quarterback.
Sanders admirably took over the starting role once the team’s previous starter, Dillon Gabriel, was sidelined due to injury. With that, Sanders played in eight games for his team, completing 120-of-212 passes he attempted for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns.
However, he also had some alarming stats along with those. The former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback threw 10 interceptions and was sacked 23 times, suggesting there is still significant work he needs to do to improve upon his game to become one of the league’s best.
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The interceptions and sacks also highlight another glaring statistic that ESPN insider Jake Trotter pointed out. Sanders’ QBR shows one of the worst seasons for quarterbacks in the past two decades.
Speaking during an ESPN Cleveland show, Trotter mentioned, “If you look at QBR going back to 2006, Shedeur has the second-worst single-season QBR of any quarterback in the NFL.”
Responding to Trotter, Tony Grossi indicated that “after this year, you’ll know if Shedeur is the guy or not,” suggesting that more evaluation is coming for the promising young talent.
In 10 games last season, Gabriel had five fewer interceptions, was sacked four fewer times, and had a significantly better QBR of 80.8, spotlighting his potential at the position. However, also showed some mobility, rushing for 169 yards on 21 carries with zero fumbles. In addition, he outdid Gabriel’s average passing yards per game considerably.
Cleveland’s 5-12 record and fourth-place finish in the division left much to be desired. The team fired Kevin Stefanski as head coach after the season ended and hired former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as the new head coach this offseason.
Monken could be the type of coach to help Sanders develop into the player he truly can become. The young QB, who received a surprising NFL Pro Bowl spot amid criticism, has also indicated he is committed to improving his skills during this offseason.
The Browns hold the No. 6 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and barring a trade, won’t have many options available for a potential upgrade at quarterback. It seems they’ll likely risk another season with Sanders as their QB1, or at least have him as a contender for the job, as they wait to see if they’ll need to consider a different signal caller.
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