Colin Cowherd labels Shedeur Sanders as "future HOFer" urging Browns to rest Coach Prime's son in OTAs

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders became the story of the 2025 NFL draft when he fell to the fifth round, No. 144 overall. However, after Browns OTAs, opinions have been divided over whether Coach Prime's son has a future in Cleveland.

Initial OTA stats from last week showed Shedeur as the most accurate quarterback among the pack. However, he received zero first-team reps in Tuesday's practice. The ex-Colorado quarterback garnered a reaction from NFL analyst Colin Cowherd, who reposted a tweet by "The Dawgs—A Cleveland Browns Podcast" and ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.

Cowherd replied to Sanders not receiving any reps at practice with a bold claim:

"No reason to overwork a future HOFer in OTAs. Let’s get him some rest for week one," Cowherd tweeted on Wednesday.

Colin Cowherd

@@colincowherd

No reason to overwork a future HOFer in OTAs. Let’s get him some rest for week one

This take from Cowherd comes after he went on record last week, voicing his belief that Sanders should be the Browns' starting QB in Week 1 of the 2025 season.

"Despite the fact that Shedeur Sanders had the fewest attempts, he was the most efficient and most productive," Cowherd said (00:31) on May 29. "The Herd newsroom is calling it in Ohio by a landslide. Shedeur Sanders should be starting."

Nonetheless, the Browns will work Shedeur to gauge his skill set and NFL readiness before deciding on their crowded quarterback room.

Shedeur Sanders Browns QB1 odds

While Cowherd has made clear that he thinks Sanders should start in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, it is not a good sign that Shedeur did not receive any first-team reps at OTAs on June 4.

At this point in his NFL career as a rookie and after falling to the fifth round, it does not seem likely that the Cleveland organization is resting Sanders for Week 1. By all accounts and reports, the Browns are evaluating all of the QBs on their roster this offseason and have a legitimate QB competition on their hands.

According to Bet365, Sanders currently has the distant third-best odds (+400) to start Week 1 for the Browns, behind Joe Flacco (-110) and Kenny Pickett (+225). However, he has better odds to start than Dillon Gabriel (+1000) and Deshaun Watson (+5000).

Cleveland Browns starting QB odds - Bet365