For a team that has a player, Myles Garrett, seriously flirting with setting a new NFL sack record, the biggest storyline surrounding the Cleveland Browns has been Shedeur Sanders and whether or not his head coach, Kevin Stefanski, actually likes him.
Taking the field against the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the player he was compared to for months during the pre-draft process, Cam Ward, Sanders seriously outplayed the Miami product on the field, but in the end, he didn’t secure the win. No, after failing to convert a two-point conversion to put his team up one, Stefanski attempted another two-point play on the Browns’ final drive of the game to tie things up, taking Sanders off the field in favor of a Wildcat play that ultimately failed in spectacular fashion.
With 769 passing yards and five touchdowns on his resume over just four appearances with three starters, Sanders’ play has been very impressive, but what has really stood out to veteran media personality Rich Eisen has been how the rookie passer has handled himself at the podium, as he’s remained incredibly professional when other players may have chosen to take the low road.
“It just seems every instance since he’s been starting, he’s been put in a position in front of the microphone where he’s either asked point-blank something to contradict his coach’s beliefs in him or play calls, or set up to help him succeed. Every single situation has either been point-blank asked of him, or in this situation, the football gods place a legit question in front of him through the media, saying, ‘Are you upset to be taken off the field?’ And he answered it, knocking it out of the park each time,” Eisen explained.
“He’s knocked out of the park, whether he’s turning to somebody saying, ‘Oh, you’re just trying to start trouble, huh?’ Or ‘Hey, everybody wants the ball, but we practiced it.’ He could have easily been, ‘Why would you take me out in the same way you did,’ and it would be just he’s making it about himself. ‘Oh, his dad’s making videos of him coming to the game and hugging his son up before the game. It’s only about the Sanders.’ Every single time, he has nailed it when put in a position by either the media or the football gods to second-guess his coach or the setup around him or whether they want him or not. Well, these numbers certainly support him being the start of the rest of the season, and guess what was announced in the last hour?”
What happened was Sanders was officially named the Browns’ starting quarterback for the rest of the season, allowing him four more games to put quality play on film for the future, be that in Cleveland or on another team that acquires him like Mel Kiper has been stumping for all season long. While his production hasn’t led to wins, it’s certainly impressive, which can only spell good things for his career prospects moving forward.
“Every single time, he has nailed it when put in a position by the media or the football gods to second guess his coach or the setup around him.”@RichEisen praises Shedeur Sanders for how he’s handled the media in tough situations 👏
(via The @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/Nv1BEw0iN0
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 8, 2025
