It’s now been a couple of weeks since most teams wrapped up the final part of their OTA schedule with mandatory minicamp in mid-June. But we’ve also still got about a month before teams report for training camp at the end of July. Nonetheless, all eyes remain on Shedeur Sanders and their QB battle in Ohio.
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The Cleveland Browns have retained four quarterbacks with a realistic shot at winning their starting job. Right now, it seems veteran Joe Flacco has the inside track to get the gig for Week 1. However, most fans and people around the Browns will be hoping someone overtakes the 40-year-old. Surely.
Cleveland is clearly in a rebuilding phase right now, which is why they drafted not one, but two QBs in the 2025 NFL Draft. They will want either Sanders or third-round pick Dillon Gabriel to emerge as a quality option at QB, and they will probably want to see what they have in each before this 2025 campaign is up.
Browns legend Hanford Dixon believes Sanders will be the guy. He also believes Shedeur has what it takes to match the best of the best in the division.
“This kid is going to be our starting quarterback. And I’m just keeping my fingers crossed, and hoping that he is the guy that we have been looking for. We could be talking about him on the same level as [Lamar] Jackson and [Joe] Burrow, and those guys in the AFC North,” the former corner said on his show.
Shedeur Sanders will COMPETE on the same level as Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. #DawgPound
"I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that he is the guy that we have been looking for."
–@HanfordDixon29 pic.twitter.com/0d3hCbxgz1
— The Hanford Dixon Show (@TopDawgShow) June 27, 2025
When it comes to talking Browns, Dixon is as stamped as anyone. He was their first-round pick in 1981 and played all nine years of his career in the Forest City. The cornerback was a Pro Bowler from 1986-1988 and a First-Team All-Pro in 1987 and 1988. He was also named to the franchise’s “Legends” program.
However, his most lasting impact on the team had nothing to do with his coverage skills. In 1985, it was Dixon who began calling his defensive teammates “dawgs” during training camp and barking after big plays. The fans followed suit. Prior to the first preseason game that year, he and Frank Minnifield hung the first “Dawg Pound” banner in front of the bleachers, the cheapest seats in the house. The rest, as they say, is history.
But even with those credentials, silly Twitter users were showing Dixon no respect for his take on Sanders. “Too much glaze unc. let’s calm down a bit,” said one. “Lol keep dreaming,” said another.
A third simply laughed, “BAHAHAHAHA.” One did agree with him at least: “He is the guy Shedeur Sanders QB1 @ShedeurSanders legendary moments franchise quarterback.”
Dixon’s take that Sanders could become as good as Lamar or Burrow was definitely a hot one. But the way people on the internet feel comfortable talking to team legends from behind their keyboards is always disappointing, if no longer surprising.
