If you were one of many Pittsburgh Steelers fans who had post-draft regret that the front office didn't snatch up Shedeur Sanders when he slipped in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers' decision already looks justified. The latest news from the Cleveland Browns creates a terrible outlook for Sanders' future.
Sanders fell to the fifth round of April's draft for what was one of the biggest unforeseen draft slides in modern memory. But there was a reason for that, and it's already starting to make sense.
Halfway through training camp, Sanders failed to impress, as he couldn't climb the ladder in a crowded QB room. Then, on Tuesday, the team dropped its initial preseason depth chart, and Sanders was listed as the fourth-string quarterback.
But it gets even worse for the rookie QB.
After ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Browns were signing veteran quarterback Tyler Huntley, Cleveland made the move official on Tuesday. This roster addition comes as multiple Browns quarterbacks are dealing with injuries, but it muddies the waters even more for a player like Sanders.
An already bad scenario to begin training camp has played out about as poorly as anyone could have imagined for Shedeur Sanders, and the Pittsburgh Steelers' rival could already be poised to bail on their fifth-round pick.
Browns may already be bailing on Shedeur Sanders and Steelers fans love it
Just weeks before the 2025 NFL Draft, every expert thought that Shedeur Sanders was going to be a first or second-round pick. But after every team passed on him at least four times, his roster spot with the Cleveland Browns is hardly secured.
Shedeur was the last of Cleveland's seven draft picks in 2025, and they ultimately took a gamble on the Colorado product with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round. Unfortunately, we know in the NFL that a player's opportunities are largely tied to his draft status... and that's bad news for a player like Sanders.
The Browns already had Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel on the roster. Gabriel was Cleveland's third-round pick, and he's listed ahead of Sanders on the team's first depth chart ahead of the preseason. Now with Tyler Huntley in the mix, it's impossible to tell how the QB depth will shake out in Cleveland.
What was initially thought of as being the steal of the draft may turn into a busted pick before the 2025 season even begins. Shedeur Sanders is dealing with shoulder soreness, but he needs to get on the field and ball out if he wants to avoid being cut before Week 1 of the season.
This couldn't have worked out any better for the Browns' AFC North rivals, and the Pittsburgh Steelers already look justified for passing on Sanders so many times in the NFL Draft.
