Shedeur Sanders is the story of the NFL training camp season. He's arguably the most polarizing quarterback to enter the league since Tim Tebow.
So when the fifth-round pick that the team's owner has already suggested he didn't want , decides to sit out practice with 'arm soreness', it's going to get a lot of reactions.
Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel took all the team reps today with Kenny Pickett (hamstring) and Shedeur Sanders (arm soreness) both sitting them out.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 2, 2025
The fan response came in fast and furious and, to the shock of none, it was mostly negative.
Lmao man hell nahh 😂, Shedeur has never sat out and missed practice due to “Shoulder Soreness” or any other kind of soreness, even over the past two years being the most sacked and hit college QB in the country.
— Zenvana (@TheZenvana) August 2, 2025
"Shoulder soreness" from what, carrying the Louis Vuitton luggage from the car? Dudes getting 10 reps a day. Embarrassing stuff.
— One Bad Apple Show (@OneBadAppleShow) August 2, 2025
Now, to be fair, there were a few supporters, and they also generally blame the Browns for just being an awful franchise that dumped the one quarterback with promise they've had in the past 20 years.
Nah it’s just called “being a QB for the Browns” -itis
— Philly Sports - Love & Pain (@PHLSportsPain) August 2, 2025
We've had our fun, now it's time for some truth. Players get nicks and bruises and...yes, quarterbacks get arm soreness. Missing a day of camp this early is not a big deal. Does Shedeur need to get himself in gear a bit? Sure, but not just for himself, but for the Browns.
Because when I look at the Browns' roster of quarterbacks, he's the only one they've got that has a little bit of promise.
Shedeur needs to step up - because the Browns need him to
Let's look at the Browns quarterbacks. There's Joe Flacco. A veteran, a former Super Bowl MVP, a great team guy. He's also about 50 years old. Then there's Kenny Pickett and his baby hands. The guy was a first-round pick four years ago, and he's on his third team. And finally, we have Dillon Gabriel. I have socks taller than Dillon Gabriel.
We don't even have to get started on the disaster that DeShaun Watson has become.
So, even if this relationship isn't exactly what either side wants, Shedeur needs the Browns to prove he can play in this league and the Browns need Shedeur because otherwise they might win two games. Normally, that's good enough to be in a position to get the first overall pick and potentially a franchise quarterback. But Arch Manning would play for the St. Louis Battlehawks before he signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Colorado fans know what Shedeur is capable of and if Browns fans are lucky, they'll see it as well.