If you were hoping the quarterback drama with Shedeur Sanders had quieted down now that the season has started, Rex Ryan strongly disagrees.
On Monday morning’s Get Up, Ryan lit into the Browns rookie — saying Sanders “talks and runs his mouth” and called him an “embarrassment” for failing to rise up the depth chart.
Rex Ryan on Shedeur Sanders: "This kid talks and he runs his mouth. Like he said, 'I can be a starting quarterback' with his arms crossed like this. Get your ass in the front row and study and do all that. If I know, the whole league knows. Quit being an embarrassment that way.… pic.twitter.com/onAE0caWKu
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 29, 2025
Wow. He did not hold back.
That didn't sound like criticism; that was a public shaming. Ask yourself: is this constructive? Or does it cross a line?
“This kid talks and he runs his mouth. Like he said, ‘I can be a starting quarterback’ with his arms crossed like this. Get your ass in the front row and study and do all that… Quit being an embarrassment that way. You’ve got the talent to be the quarterback, you should be. You should be embarrassed that you’re not the quarterback now.”
Ryan’s remarks came after Sanders recently said, “If you see the quarterback play in the league right now, I know I’m capable of doing better than that.”
That confidence struck a nerve — or at least that’s how Ryan spun it. Calling Shedeur an “embarrassment” is rich in its own right.
But as easy as it is to laugh off his comments, the uncomfortable part for us is that he’s not entirely wrong.
Shedeur did not help his case with those recent comments. They may have been true, but it painted a bullseye on his back. Confidence is one thing, but publicly suggesting you’re better than guys starting while you’re not playing? That’s going to cause some issues.
Rex Ryan’s rant was over the top, but it echoed what some inside the Cleveland sports arena are whispering, even since the NFL Combine.
His preparation and attitude are not helping him.
If Shedeur is going to be more than just “Coach Prime’s son in the NFL,” he has to flip the script. Study harder. Stay late. Lead without the mic in front of him. Because right now, the perception is that he’s personality over production. And Rex just blasted that perception into every sports fan in America.
My advice to Shedeur fans is forget the chatter. Forget Rex Ryan. At some point, Sanders has to make his NFL moment happen. Similarly to Tim Tebow in 2011, one good drive, one big play, and suddenly the “embarrassment” talk will fade into background noise.
The Browns are heading to London next to face Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy Minnesota defense — not exactly the friendliest spot to break in a rookie.
Reports suggest Dillon Gabriel is closer to the field than Sanders, which says everything about where Shedeur stands in the pecking order.
So yeah, Rex Ryan’s comments this morning were ridiculous. But the bigger truth is this: Shedeur Sanders’ NFL story hasn’t even started yet. He's never had to wait his turn this long, that is by far the toughest challenge of his career.
How he continues to respond is going to dictate his NFL career.
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