On Monday, Deion Sanders joined the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce. Among the most interesting topics, predictably, was on his son, Shedeur, and the recent reports about him turning away the opportunity to be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. He also made a bold prediction about his son's future with the Browns.
Coach Prime defended the decision he and his son made not to go to Baltimore. They didn't believe there was a path to starting there with Lamar Jackson firmly entrenched as the team's franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future. That, of course, ignores that he could have developed behind Jackson and eventually gotten an opportunity with another team.
Coach Prime doesn't see it that way. He stated on the podcast, "I've never sat on the bench and thought, 'Wow, I learned a lot today.'"
Perhaps that's true of the legendary Deion Sanders, but how often did he sit on the bench at any level of football? Plenty of guys have developed as backups and gone on to good careers. The fault in that thinking is the belief that Shedeur is on the same level as his Dad. He isn't. Prime was a can't-miss prospect and arguably the best defensive back in NFL history. Shedeur was a fifth-round draft pick just trying to catch on somewhere. Willingly choosing to go to the Cleveland Browns over the Baltimore Ravens is a baffling decision made out of hubris.
It's backfired so far. Instead of being second string in Baltimore behind Jackson, Shedeur is currently third string in Cleveland behind Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. It hasn't seemed thus far that the Browns have prioritized his development at all, instead putting more focus, energy, and effort into Gabriel.
But Coach Prime also made a bold prediction on New Heights, and if it comes true, Shedeur's days as a backup are numbered.
Deion Sanders predicts that Shedeur Sanders will start this season for the Browns
The Sanders family clearly isn't buying this as being a "redshirt" season for Shedeur. Coach Prime predicted on New Heights that his son's time is coming and that he will start for the Browns this season.
"When it's time, you gonna know," Sanders said. "And it's coming up. I got a prediction - I ain't telling nobody - I got a feeling when it's gonna go down, but it's gonna go down this year."
Through three games, the Browns are 1-2 with one of the worst offenses in the NFL. They currently rank 30th in the league in scoring, and would be 0-3 if it weren't for a miraculous comeback win over the Packers on Sunday.
If the offense continues to trend toward the bottom of the league, the Browns will have to make a change at QB and give Gabriel or Sanders a shot. Gabriel is the No. 2 on the depth chart, so he'll be first in line to take over. For Sanders to get an opportunity to start this year, Gabriel would have to struggle or injuries would have to pile up.
Coach Prime is confident that an opportunity is coming for his son. He could be right. But it's still fair to question whether their draft day decision was the right one.