Rookie QB Shedeur Sanders has been turning heads in the Browns, leading all quarterbacks with a 77.4% completion rate and nine TDs during recent OTAs and mandatory minicamp. HC Kevin Stefanski praised him for his aggressiveness and accuracy in tight windows, even staying late to build rapport with the receivers. Off the field, he kept things hot for driving over 100 mph, though former Browns coach Eric Mangini defended it as a rookie mistake. Despite being a fifth‑round pick, he remains locked in on the QB battle, offering a crisp, “We got preseason first” when asked about earning the starting job.
When Hanford Dixon talks about quarterbacks, Cleveland listens. He’s not one to throw around compliments lightly. So when the former Browns cornerback and longtime team analyst says “I think he’s Showtime” and “I like the kid. I think he’s going to be just fine here in Cleveland,” he said on the June 25 episode of The Hanford Dixon Show.
This isn’t blind hype. Dixon is rooting for what he saw around the field. “People can say what they want to say about this kid,” Dixon added. “I just love him.” Dixon’s conviction that this isn’t some two-year development project. “Somewhere between the middle of the season… this kid is gonna be our starting quarterback,” he said.
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
“And I’m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that he is the guy that we have been looking for.” Everyone noticed as he mentioned Shedeur Sanders with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in the same sentence. But Dixon’s excitement isn’t just about arm talent. It’s about how Shedeur is already earning respect.
“It seems to me already that he’s pretty well received by the guys,” he said. And that’s showing up in casual locker room Q&As. When Dixon asked players who picks them up, who’s got the vibe? “Grant Delpit was like, ‘Shedeur,’” he recalled. “He’s got the personality, he’s built for the camera, and he’s just like, good vibes.” The quarterback doesn’t just call plays. He sets the tone.
Then came the off-field moment that said everything. Dixon shared how many assumed Shedeur would take off as soon as minicamp ended, typical rookie behavior. But he stayed for David Njoku’s charity event. No cameras or flash, just presence. “He stayed for Njoku’s event, and I think that was pretty good,” Dixon said.
If you think now that Shedeur Sanders will start in 2025, hold your minds. There are plenty of people who believe otherwise as well.
Shedeur Sanders faces a roadblock in his starting job
Behind the stats and behind the swagger, Shedeur Sanders is running into something bigger than him: the brutal politics of NFL depth charts. On paper, he is doing everything right. A 77.4% completion rate during OTAs and minicamp, more touchdowns than any other Browns QB in drills, and enough social media pop to fuel an entire offseason of hype. But on the field? Former NFL receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh didn’t mince words on the Nightcap show, “It’s really coming down to Kenny Pickett or Dillon Gabriel.”
He took it a step further, casting real doubt on those viral Shedeur stats. “When you get the reports that Shedeur’s completed 7 of 9 passes, like, is it against starters or is it threes and fours? Guys, that’s going to get released?” he asked. And if coaches aren’t giving him top-tier reps, then no matter how clean his stat line looks, it’s not truly a competition.
This isn’t panic mode, but it’s a flashing red light. The talent is there. The charisma is real. The teammates seem to like him. But the NFL doesn’t run on personality or potential. It runs on trust. And right now, the people making decisions in Cleveland seem to trust almost everyone else in that QB room more than Shedeur Sanders. The road ahead is tough for the rookie.
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