Shedeur Sanders’ path to a roster spot in Cleveland may have gotten even thinner.
The Browns are still leaning toward giving Deshaun Watson another shot, even as plenty of their fans have made it clear they’re ready to move on. That leaves Sanders in line for backup duties for now. But Sunday’s wave of cuts around the league opened the door to a new possibility, and it could put Sanders in real danger of being squeezed out.
The name to watch is Joe Milton. The Dallas Cowboys waived the backup quarterback after a preseason in which he drew attention, and many around the league had expected the 26-year-old to be Dak Prescott’s primary backup. Instead, he landed on the waiver wire in a move that caught plenty of people off guard.
If Cleveland decided to claim Milton, the Browns would have a tough call to make because of Watson’s contract. The decision would likely come down to Sanders or rookie Taylen Green, and the source points to Green as the more likely holdover because he’s shown potential at the NFL level. In that scenario, Sanders could be the odd man out.
Meanwhile, the frustration around Watson remains impossible to ignore. Browns fans booed him repeatedly during a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, but Sanders didn’t pile on. He took the high road and pushed back on the crowd’s reaction.
“I don’t appreciate that at all,” Sanders said. “Just, regardless of competition, we all human beings, and I think we all need to understand that.”
“Just for all the fans and everything, I really appreciate ya’ll showing up and everything. And however ya’ll feel about the situation, about with Deshaun, about with everything, still I think it’s about bigger purpose of just respect,” he continued.
That’s the kind of response that stood out.
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Browns Fans May Not Like What This Means For Shedeur Sanders
The Browns are headed into another uneasy stretch at quarterback, and the direction still appears to favor Deshaun Watson as the starter even with plenty of frustration around the situation. That alone has kept Shedeur Sanders in the conversation, especially among fans who have been looking for a change and wondering whether the rookie could be pushed into a bigger role sooner rather than later.
Now there is another wrinkle to watch, with Cleveland reportedly considering whether to claim waived Dallas Cowboys backup Joe Milton. If the Browns add another quarterback, it could further crowd the picture around Sanders and complicate how the team sorts out its depth chart. Sanders, meanwhile, has already addressed the fan backlash publicly, asking for respect no matter how the quarterback situation plays out. [Read more 🡒]
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There is also a new face coming into the mix on the practice squad, with running back Jaleel McLaughlin reportedly signing there as the Browns keep building out insurance across the roster. It is the kind of late-summer churn that can look routine on paper, but for a team still settling key battles, each decision says something about how the depth chart is beginning to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jeudys New Browns Role Says Plenty About This Offense
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For a Browns offense still waiting on clarity at quarterback, those kinds of adjustments matter even more. The receiver room is being arranged with an eye toward flexibility, but the success of any reshuffling will ultimately depend on who is delivering the ball and how quickly the group can settle into something functional. Jeudys assignment is a sign the Browns are trying to tailor the offense around skill sets, even if the bigger picture remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]