Following the initial trials of the Cleveland Browns’ minicamp and OTAs, the former Colorado Buffalo, Shedeur Sanders, appears to be separating himself from what has become an overcrowded quarterback room. Unfortunately, while the second-generation athlete has begun to impress the likes of his coaches, he still sees his fair share of criticisms.
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Most recently, the former ESPN and Fox Sports columnist, Jason Whitlock, suggested that the Browns are attempting to transform Sanders “…into gold chain-wearing Tim Tebow,” a PR transformation that he predicts is doomed for failure.
During the most recent episode of The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty, the titled co-hosts sat down with fellow coach, Steve Kim, to discuss Whitlock’s take. Simply put, the rookie’s completion percentage at practice hasn’t been enough to win them over.
“We outta calm down on Mr. June,” Kim exclaimed.
“I tend to agree [with Whitlock.] You’re throwing against air. This is like a fighter looking good while hitting mitts, I’ve never seen a professional fighter who did not look like a monster hitting mitts.”
According to Kim, the polarizing nature of Sanders is still strong enough for him to admit that he will be tuning into each and every single one of the Browns’ preseason games in August. Given the lack of excitement surrounding the team for the better part of the last decade, perhaps that’s saying something.
Nevertheless, Smitty believes that Whitlock chose the wrong quarterback in Tebow when making his comparison. For all of the fame and notoriety that the former Florida Gator was able to obtain throughout his brief stint in the NFL, he never possessed the amount of tools that Sanders has at his disposal.
“I understand what Whitlock is trying to say here, but I just think that the comparison to Tebow is just not fair. Tebow was a great college quarterback… A lot of the questions for Shedeur are, can he play without his father being the coach, or is he too big of a star for the locker room. It’s not about ability [as it was with Tebow.”
In light of Sanders’ recent series of performances on the practice field, The Athletic’s Zac Jackson is now reporting that the “…accuracy and decisiveness he’s shown this spring” will likely make things difficult for Cleveland’s decision makers this offseason.
Seeing as Sanders managed to complete the most passes and throw for the most touchdowns throughout the team’s unofficial debut, he may just prove to be inevitable at all.
Here are the QB totals from the 5 Browns open media practices (OTAs and minicamp) this spring.
Who do you think should be the Browns QB1? pic.twitter.com/daBfqHvn58
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 12, 2025
For better or worse, his unprecedented slide in the 2025 NFL Draft will likely be a point of contention for both fans and analysts alike for the duration of Sanders’ career. Then again, should he maintain his current pace, then it seems as if he’s well on his way to serving each and every single one of his critics their own personal slice of humble pie.
