Going from worst to first is one of the hardest things to do in any sport, but especially in the NFL. Some of the league’s basement dwellers have struggled to climb out for years, most notably the Cleveland Browns. Even fans and analysts of the team don’t believe that’s going to change anytime soon. Unless, of course, something near-impossible happens: for Cleveland, that could be Shedeur Sanders winning Rookie of the Year.
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To say times are tough in Cleveland would be an understatement. They’ve finished in last place in the AFC North nine times in the past 14 seasons. Not only that, but they haven’t won the division since 1989. That’s why, when a recent ESPN article ranked them dead last—eighth—in terms of teams with a chance to go from worst to first, even Browns fans and analysts weren’t surprised.
One of those analysts was Dustin Fox, a former backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills. When asked if he thought the ranking was fair, he begrudgingly agreed.
“The Browns, I think the win total is 5.5 in Vegas. I mean, that’s probably the right number. To go first, there’s just no chance,” Fox said on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
“Look at the quarterbacks in the division,” the host of the show responded.
It’s a glaring aspect that must be noted. The Browns are currently in a division with Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and now Aaron Rodgers, leading their opponent teams. Two of those guys have multiple MVPs, and one could very well win it one day. Cleveland’s chances to win the division aren’t just tied to how the team does; it’s tied to how those other three QBs perform as well.
For that reason, Fox simply can’t see the Browns overcoming the odds. But he did list out a hypothetical scenario in which it could happen.
“Unless, and again, it’s all at this point hypothetical, but Flacco would have to be amazing. Or Shedeur would be the offensive Rookie of the Year, and have an amazing season. Everything would have to go the Browns’ direction,” Fox said.
If Shedeur could step up and win the award, it would undoubtedly raise Cleveland’s chances of winning the North. But with Dillon Gabriel seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart as of now, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. We might be lucky if we get to see Shedeur play at all in the regular season.
Additionally, Fox listed what would probably need to happen to the other quarterbacks in the division for his hypothetical scenario to come to fruition.
“You probably need an injury to Lamar Jackson. Because we know that the Bengals and Ravens are really good. Aaron Rodgers is in Pittsburgh, you need that thing to go south… And then maybe Burrow, his offensive line decides not to block for him like they did in the last couple of years,” he added.
It would be a massive surprise if all of that were to happen. But we also hope it doesn’t, because we never want to wish an injury on another player’s career. Lamar is one of the most electric players in the NFL, and the game is better when he’s on the field.
However, maybe there is a timeline where Shedeur does step up to the challenge.
Shedeur Starting?
As of now, the Browns’ starting quarterback job seems to be up for grabs. The team is reportedly rostering 4 QBs ahead of training camp as they continue to decipher who will take the reins. Most expected Joe Flacco to take center stage when he signed. But it seems like the team wants him as a veteran break-glass backup.
Since the start of minicamp, good rumors have emerged from every QB’s camp in Cleveland. One week, it was Kenny Pickett getting the praise as the guy that the Browns traded for. Then, Dillon Gabriel had his brief moment in the sun after showing some promise in practice. But throughout it all, Shedeur has continued to impress the coaches and is still on the team.
Who knows who’s going to take the job once Week 1 kicks off? But we have a feeling a lot of preseason play is going to determine that. We already know what Pickett brings to the table. So, if Gabriel or Shedeur can show up and show out early, Kevin Stefanski might have a hard time ignoring them on the bench. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
