NFL analyst delivers blunt verdict on Shedeur Sanders' future with Browns

The Cleveland Browns doubled on quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft, leaving the franchise in a curious situation. There are now five quarterbacks on the roster, and Kevin Stefanski will be in an interesting situation to decide how the depth chart will play out for the 2025 season.

Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are likely to compete against each other for one of the roster spots, with the other heading to the practice squad. Joe Flacco, signed as a free agent, is likely to be the starter, with Kenny Pickett in a less certain situation.

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson is unlikely to play in 2025 due to a new Achilles injury.

The dispute between Gabriel and Sanders will likely carry on until the end of training camp. However, NFL analyst David Samson does not believe that things will end up well for the former Colorado passer. Samson predicts that Sanders will lose the camp battle and miss the 53-man roster altogether:

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"It's not just that he slipped into the fifth round. It's that 32 teams felt that there were four players that they'd rather have, each, before Shedeur Sanders. All five quarterbacks will not gonna make it. I'm of the opinion he won't even make the team," Samson said on the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast.

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Eric Mangini defends Browns playing 'best man' instead of prioritizing Sanders

Former Browns head coach Eric Mangini, who's now an analyst for Fox Sports, does not seem excited about the idea of giving the keys to the rookie. Although the media circus was massive regarding the pick, Mangini argued that Cleveland should just let the best man win the starter spot.

“If it's Flacco, if it's Gabriel, they should play whoever they feel is gonna give them the best chance to win because playing Shedeur, and him going in and not being the best guy, is not gonna save their jobs," Mangini said on FS1's "First Things First".

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Sanders was the sixth quarterback selected, with Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Dillon Gabriel and Jalen Milroe all having their names called before Deion Sanders' son. He later admitted that poor performances in interviews with NFL teams might've led to his fall to Day 3.

Who do you think will start under center for the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

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