It’s not every day that Kirk Herbstreit offers thoughts on a rookie quarterback buried on the depth chart in July.
The longtime ESPN analyst broke down the Cleveland Browns quarterback competition last week and gave us the clearest outsider read yet on where Shedeur stands in the NFL pecking order.
And, it’s not as bad as the depth chart might make it look.
“If you take Deshaun [Watson] away, you still have four quarterbacks,” Herbstreit said. “Most teams keep three. Someone’s going to get cut.”
That simple line set the tone: Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel are not just fighting for a starting job. One of them might not even make the team.
“I think he makes the team”
Herbstreit was pretty darn clear on what he thinks of Sanders’ future in Cleveland.
“My guess would be [Shedeur] makes the team, but he’s more in a developmental role,” Herbstreit said. “That’s pretty common for a draft pick. It takes time to make that adjustment.”
That’s not a bad thing, especially when you’re sharing a quarterback room with three veterans and trying to learn an NFL system in your first month. Herbstreit essentially said that Shedeur can do it.
What Herbstreit recognized—and what Coach Prime has preached since day one—is that Shedeur is a long game.
The case for patience
If you only read the headlines last week, you might’ve thought Shedeur’s chances in Cleveland were already dead. He wasn’t getting first-team reps and he was fielding awkward questions from radio guys.
But that’s how development works.
That’s why you’ll rarely hear panic in Shedeur's voice. This past week, when asked why he wasn’t getting first-team reps, Shedeur calmly responded: “That’s not my place to answer… I know who I am.”
That answer alone showed he’s built for the NFL life.
The road ahead
No, Shedeur might not be the starter on Day 1. But that was never the goal. The goal is a career and proving he's the Browns franchise quarterback (finally). And from the sound of it, Herbstreit thinks the Browns are ready to invest in that process.
With Kenny Pickett reportedly sidelined by a hamstring injury, I believe Shedeur will get more reps in the coming practices.
If he stacks more performances like his breakout Day 4—where he threw three touchdowns and completed over 70% of his passes—the Browns’ front office will have a real decision to make.
Joe Flacco might be the safe bet for now, but Shedeur’s ceiling? We’ve all seen it.
The preseason opener on August 8 against Carolina is going to be his biggest stage yet. If he plays well, you know how quickly things will shift.
We'll be watching. So will Herbstreit apparently.
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