Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has reportedly been named a Pro Bowl replacement, according to reporter Jordan Schultz, ostensibly to replace Super Bowl-bound quarterback Drake Maye.
The 23-year-old Sanders threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a rookie, going 3-4 in his starts.
Sanders is the first Browns quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since Derek Anderson in 2008.
Monday’s report was met with about the response you’d expect:
Here’s the reality—unless about seven or eight other potential options turned down the replacement gig after Maye reached the Super Bowl, there is zero reason for Sanders to have been named a Pro Bowler.
He had a QBR of 18.9 and a passer rating of 68.1. For context, his teammate and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel had a QBR of 31.5 and a passer rating of 80.8 across 10 appearances. Gabriel wasn’t great either, but his touchdown-to-interception ratio was 7-to-2, which sure looks better than what Sanders provided.
Granted, Gabriel was dinking-and-dunking far more than Sanders, who actually took shots down the field, so the context matters. But there is no context in which Sanders is a worthy Pro Bowler outside of other alternatives turning down the opportunity, which is certainly a possibility.
This year’s Pro Bowl will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. ET. It will be an AFC vs. NFC flag football contest.