It’s just not going to happen.
Everywhere you look, someone is suggesting that the Browns will cut Shedeur Sanders this summer, that he won’t even reach Week 1. And that simply doesn’t make sense for Cleveland.
Maybe there’s the trade possibility out there that others have speculated on, given that the Browns have too many quarterbacks right now. But even that is hard to picture, given that 143 picks of the NFL Draft went by before the “consensus first-rounder” was actually chosen by Cleveland in the fifth round.
The most likely outcome, by a mile, is that Sanders opens the season with the Browns. He definitely won’t be cut. Here’s why:
NFL Draft decision to pick Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns didn’t have to draft Shedeur Sanders.
Like, they really, really didn’t have to draft him.
The Browns already took their quarterback of choice 50 picks prior with Dillon Gabriel late in the third round. They already had veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on the roster.
Add onto that the fact that Sanders had just free fallen down draft boards, and while it wasn’t a major investment, the Browns knew they’d be igniting a firestorm by being the team that ended Sanders’ unexpected slide.
Minds can change, of course, but why would a team step out on a limb like that only to reverse just a few months later?
The fact that the Browns chose to draft Sanders at all points heavily in the direction of them wanting to keep him around.
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Shedeur Sanders’ stats, talent prove upside
Don’t forget: This guy was viewed as a first-round QB by most analysts for a reason.
Sanders is a darn good quarterback.
You don’t complete 74 percent of the passes in your final college season, no matter the system, unless you can spin it.
Early highlights out of the Browns’ various offseason workouts have shown Sanders can deliver pretty throws on time and on target. The unofficial stats being tracked each day have also indicated Sanders is out there dealing.
He’s got great NFL pedigree from his father Deion, and he’s been well thought of at every stop in his football journey.
Sanders isn’t a fluke. His production proves he can play. The Browns continue to see it each day, and that’d make cutting him even harder.
Browns’ quarterback history
The Cleveland Browns can’t get another quarterback decision wrong.
That’s sort of their whole M.O., though.
The Deshaun Watson mistake still looms as the biggest. But they also got rid of Baker Mayfield, and drafted Johnny Manziel in a first round, and invested too heavily in the likes of Brandon Weeden and Deshone Kizer.
Cleveland’s long-term answer at QB may be Sanders or Gabriel, but he very well may be in the 2026 NFL Draft, instead.
Regardless, the Browns can’t afford to cut someone who even possibly could be the answer.
Joe Flacco, at 40 years old, may be the present solution but isn’t any kind of long-term anything. Kenny Pickett is already on his third team and can’t be considered any more than a stopgap.
The only guys who are actual unknowns with potential upside are Sanders and Gabriel.
Given that the Browns need to solve this dilemma once and for all, they can’t give up on the rookies before they even reach Week 1 of their first NFL season. That’s asking for trouble.
Will the Browns cut Shedeur Sanders?
Maybe down the road, maybe next year, Sanders could be a cut candidate.
But if it happens this summer, it’ll be shocking.
Too many factors point to Sanders sticking around, barring a surprise trade offer.
The Browns have chosen this path with Sanders, and it seems most likely they’ll stay on it, for now.
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