Shedeur Sanders has impressed the Cleveland Browns coaching staff with his limited opportunities at OTAs. He’s been notably determined and poised, and some sources say he’s looked better than third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. This has some fans and analysts wondering if Shedeur could threaten to start Week 1 with a good preseason.
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But Emmanuel Acho thinks that it would be a terrible decision by Kevin Stefanski to push the young Sanders into a starting role so early. He understands that Shedeur wants to play right away and thinks that he should do everything in his power to win the job. After all, he is a fifth-round pick who’s listed as QB4 on the depth chart.
Yet, at the same time, Acho believes that letting rookie quarterbacks sit for a season and learn is a strategy that’s proven to be fruitful.
“Should Shedeur want to start Week 1? Obviously. 1000%. Anybody should want to start Week 1. But would starting Week 1 actually be a bad thing for Shedeur? 1000%,” Acho said on The Facility.
It goes against what people have been arguing all along. Many believe that Shedeur should’ve been drafted higher and, in turn, be competing for a starting spot. But he experienced a draft day blunder like we’d never seen before and has been picking up the pieces ever since.
However, Acho could only think of what Andy Reid always says when it comes to rookie quarterbacks.
“I never want my rookie quarterbacks to start right away. I never do,” Acho said, quoting Reid.
It’s something that Reid has always avoided during his career. In 1999, he had Doug Pederson start the season at quarterback before Donovan McNabb took over later that campaign. Then, in 2017, Reid had Alex Smith start over Patrick Mahomes. The strategy turned both quarterbacks into great players.
Acho believes that Cleveland should want to marinate Shedeur for a season so that he can last longer in the league. To support his argument, he pulled out quite a stat.
“There’s a reason the last 8 MVP awards went to quarterbacks who didn’t start Week 1. Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady… When you start Week 1, you’re not ready mentally. You’re probably not ready physically, and you’re definitely not ready emotionally.”
It’s a super interesting statistic that Acho came across. You have to go back to 2015 to find the last quarterback who started Week 1 of their rookie season and eventually won an MVP. That was Matt Ryan, and we all know how quickly he peaked.
Would Shedeur Sanders starting Week 1 actually be a bad thing? @EmmanuelAcho says he wouldn’t want the Rookie starting Week 1 pic.twitter.com/uII6Nsl6GF
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) June 11, 2025
It’s thought that when rookie quarterbacks get to sit and learn for a season, they end up hitting the ground running when they get their chance. Seemingly, it’s because they don’t take lumps like traditional rookies do, which helps build confidence.
“All of the damage you incur in Week 1, you don’t get to just get rid of it, because it happened to you,” Acho professed.
All in all, it’s a hard argument to beat with the amount of evidence Acho provides. And it leads us to believe that the Browns would be wise to sit Shedeur for a season if they have long-term plans for him.
But what about Jayden Daniels? And CJ Stroud? What about someone who started Week 1 of their rookie season and won an MVP like Cam Newton? Acho had a blind spot for those players throughout his argument.
However, it also plays into his argument, in a way. Despite winning an MVP, Newton had a short peak. Stroud came crashing down to earth in his sophomore season. And the sky seems like the limit for Daniels right now, but evidence suggests that regression is likely incoming.
So, it’s not really to say we agree with Acho here, but we agree with Reid. Besides Peyton Manning, rookie quarterbacks traditionally have more success when they don’t get thrown into the action in Week 1. This is something the Browns should keep in mind before throwing Shedeur to the wolves in 2025.
