NFL insider reveals why Shedeur Sanders had best stats at Browns OTAs 

Shedeur Sanders lit up the Cleveland Browns OTAs this week, at least on paper. A viral stat graphic showed the rookie quarterback going 7-for-9 with three touchdowns during Wednesday’s practice.

But is it too early to crown him the future in Cleveland? NFL insider Tom Pelissero addressed the hype on "The Rich Eisen Show." He explained why Sanders looked so sharp and had the best stats out of the four Browns quarterbacks.

“If you said what type of quarterback is going to thrive in that environment, in OTAs, where it's a lot of 7 on 7, there may be some 11 on 11 mixed in, but there's no pass rush. Really no pass rush. There's you know, no helmets, you're trying to play within rhythm. It's going to be a guy who's really really accurate, and Shedeur absolutely is,” Pelissero said.

(from 0:36 mark onwards)

Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot addressed something similar Thursday on the "Orange and Brown Talk" podcast:

“Shedeur Sanders, as we so aptly told everybody yesterday, did not take one rep in 11-on-11s. He has to come in here as the fourth-string quarterback and work his way up that depth chart."

Still, the buzz around Sanders is as loud as always.

Dan Orlovsky gets honest on Shedeur Sanders starting for Browns

Former Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky isn’t sugarcoating his opinion on Cleveland’s quarterback conundrum. Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are battling it out for the Browns' QB1 role heading into next season.

Flacco’s 2023 campaign and experience make him the early frontrunner, but Orlovsky believes leaning on the veteran could backfire.

“I just think situation-wise, you know, Joe is obviously very accomplished,” Orlovsky said on "Cousin Sal’s Winning Weekend." “But I think that you would be hard-pressed to get me to start Joe Flacco if I was Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry.”

The former QB turned analyst argued that a 9-8 season with Flacco doesn’t help Cleveland’s long-term plan. Instead, he wants to see Sanders or Gabriel get a real shot if they’re even close to Flacco in practice:

“The only way I would start Joe is if I felt both of those rookies would be utter disasters."

For Orlovsky, Deion Sanders' son might be the Browns’ big-picture play.

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