‘At No Point Has He Taken 1 Snap With the First Team’: Shannon Sharpe Sounds Off on the Browns for Not Preparing Shedeur Sanders

Shedeur Sanders finally made his NFL debut on Sunday, and it could not have gone any worse. Kevin Stefanski threw the rookie into the fire against a red-hot Ravens defense, and he looked exactly like what he was: a fifth-round quarterback who had never taken a single rep with the starting offense.

Sanders, for his part, showed positive intent initially by completing his first two passes. However, what followed immediately was a sack, an interception, and series after series where the offense could barely function. By the end of six drives, the Colorado product finished 4-of-16 for 47 yards, was sacked twice, and ran three times for 16 yards.

And while Sanders never stopped competing, one could see the confusion, the hesitation, and the lack of chemistry with receivers he’s barely practiced with. One of his own quotes summed up the reality best: “I think that was my first ball to Jerry Jeudy all year.” That alone says everything.

And that is exactly why Shannon Sharpe erupted on an episode of his podcast, Nightcap, calling Shedeur Sanders’ lack of preparation “malpractice.”

“For [head coach] Kevin Stefanski to say the first time that Shedeur Sanders had taken a snap with the starters, with the ones within this game, is malpractice,” Sharpe said, before repeating his disbelief. “At no point in time… at no point in time, you think Dillon Gabriel could possibly get hurt?”

Sharpe’s frustration was clear, and honestly, justified. In a league where even the best, like Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, aren’t immune to injuries, backups need real preparation… and Sanders got none.

“[Gabriel] can’t possibly break a knee, break a shoulder, get a concussion? There’s no possible way anything could go wrong that you don’t want to get Shedeur even one rep with the ones?” Sharpe screamed, stressing how even during his years with John Elway, the greats made sure backups stayed ready: “If he did ten reps in a period, the backup would take two, just in case.”

Alas, here the Browns are in Week 11, with a backup QB who was drafted in May and has not taken “one snap with the ones,” something Sharpe called “very, very disappointing.”

That said, Stefanski tried to explain his decision by noting that since Gabriel was also a rookie starter, all the reps were funnelled to him. That left Sanders working with backups and scout-team players, with no real chemistry built with the receivers he was suddenly expected to lead in a one-score game.

But still, the fact that a Cleveland Browns head coach is not considering the possibility of a QB not living up to the billing is shocking, to say the least. But the lack of reps isn’t even new.

Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett barely got reps in the offseason before being shipped to Cincinnati and Vegas, respectively. Nor did Shedeur Sanders get one. So Stefanski basically bet this season and possibly his job on Dillon Gabriel, a player who wasn’t even a top-tier college quarterback to begin with. Make that make sense.