Browns' Offensive Line Woes Hit Historic Lows, But Shedeur Sanders Keeps His Head Up
You don’t need an advanced stat sheet to tell you what’s been painfully clear every time the Browns take the field: Shedeur Sanders is under siege. Week after week, the rookie quarterback is getting pressured at a rate that’s not just high - it’s historically bad.
If the trend holds, Sanders will finish the season having faced pressure on 46% of his dropbacks. That would be the highest mark since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2009.
Let that sink in. We're not just talking about a rough stretch - we're talking about a level of pressure no quarterback has endured in over 15 years of data.
And it’s not just elite defenses teeing off. Sanders has been hounded by front sevens across the board, good and bad, with little resistance from his offensive line.
Injuries Have Torn Through the Browns' Front Five
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Heading into the season, Cleveland’s offensive line was projected to be one of the team’s most stable units. But that promise has unraveled quickly, thanks to a brutal run of injuries.
Joel Bitonio and Cam Robinson are the only linemen who’ve managed to stay on the field for every snap since Sanders took over. Beyond them, it’s been a revolving door of injuries and underperformance.
Wyatt Teller, K.T. Leveston, Ethan Pocic, Teven Jenkins, and Jack Conklin have all missed time - either due to injury or performance-related benchings.
The tackle play has been especially rough. Cam Robinson, the veteran presence expected to anchor the line, has struggled mightily.
Pro Football Focus ranks him 78th out of 82 qualifying tackles. Leveston, who’s been asked to step up in a big way, hasn’t fared much better - he’s sitting at 74th.
That’s two starting tackles graded near the bottom of the league.
On the interior, the situation hasn’t been much better. The original trio of Bitonio, Pocic, and Teller had been holding their own - somewhere between solid and serviceable - but once Pocic went down with a torn Achilles in Week 14, things took a nosedive.
Luke Wypler stepped in at center, and the results haven’t been pretty. His PFF grade sits at 33.7, a number that doesn’t even qualify him for the site’s full positional rankings due to limited snaps.
For context, the lowest-graded center among qualifiers is the Chargers’ Bradley Bozeman, and he’s at 52.3. Wypler’s performance has been well below that floor - a clear sign that the drop-off has been steep.
Teller’s replacements, Teven Jenkins and Garrett Dellinger, have actually performed admirably. But when you’re trotting out three liabilities on the line at once, it’s simply too much to overcome.
The Browns may have finally answered the question: *How many struggling offensive linemen does it take to break an offense? * The answer, it seems, is three.
Shedeur Sanders: Under Fire, But Not Folding
Amid the chaos, Shedeur Sanders has shown a level of poise that goes well beyond his years. The pressure is constant, the hits keep coming, and yet the rookie isn’t flinching. Instead, he’s embracing the challenge.
“I’m just excited that I’m able to get everybody’s best,” Sanders said. “That makes me feel proud...
I’m just getting in the league, getting my feet settled and everything. So I get excited knowing I’m able to face those challenges.”
That mindset is rare - especially for a quarterback taking this kind of punishment. Sanders isn’t dwelling on what’s missing. He’s focused on what he’s gaining: experience, perspective, and the kind of mental toughness that can’t be taught in a film room.
“This year right here, this is the worst it’s going to be,” Sanders added. “So this is the foundation. This is where I’m building from.”
It’s a mature, grounded response from a young quarterback navigating a brutal situation. And while he’s far from perfect - no rookie is - Sanders has flashed enough potential to make you believe there’s something worth building around.
His pocket presence, arm talent, and calm under fire are all traits you want in a franchise quarterback. Now it’s about giving him a chance to develop without having to run for his life every other snap.
What Comes Next?
The Browns have some serious questions to answer this offseason. The offensive line, once a strength, now looks like a full-blown rebuild project. Injuries have exposed the lack of depth, and the tape doesn’t lie - the current group simply isn’t getting it done.
As for Sanders, his future in Cleveland isn’t guaranteed. But if nothing else, he’s shown he can weather the storm.
He’s taking the hits, learning on the fly, and staying focused on long-term growth. That’s not just admirable - it’s rare.
The numbers may be ugly. The protection may be nonexistent.
But Shedeur Sanders is still standing, still learning, and still believing. And for a franchise desperately searching for stability under center, that alone is something to build on.