CLEVELAND, Ohio – In a season of despair and disappointment, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has suddenly given Browns fans a reason to care again. The unexpected rise of Sanders as a legitimate quarterback prospect might be the best thing to happen to the Browns in 2024.
“Thank goodness this is happening,” cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto said on the latest Terry’s Talkin’ podcast.
“Do you know how dreadful this would be if we’re watching Dylan Gabriel or if Shedeur were playing, you know, throwing for 130 yards and getting sacked 17 times and all that kind of stuff?”
Instead of a homestretch with unwatchable quarterback play, Browns fans are being treated to a rookie showing some potential. Sanders threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns, plus ran for another Sunday against Tennessee.
Pluto pointed out one aspect of Sanders’ game that has caught his eye.
“I’ve been very impressed with the way he’s handled the snaps directly from center,” Pluto said. “I know he fumbled the one at the goal line, but overall he’s done a really good job with that and play fakes from that position. He wasn’t doing that stuff at all in college.”
The rookie still has areas to improve, especially when it comes to his college habit of backpedaling from pressure and turning 7-yard sacks into 17-yarders.
“I did go through the tape — he had three of the ‘wandering backwards in the nowhere’ moves,” Pluto said. “He’s got to watch that.”
But these are coachable moments for a young quarterback with talent.
Another encouraging sign might be Sanders’ progress in decision-making. According to Pluto, Pro Football Focus credited Sanders with five throwaways instead of taking sacks – a sign of maturity for a young quarterback who naturally wants to make plays.
“It goes against his character because he’s wired to make a big play. I got to make a big play,” Pluto said. “But the cool thing is they could work on all this these last four games. Put this in the game plan, take that out. I mean, you’re sitting there suddenly going, ‘This guy’s got a chance to be an honors student.’ ”
Perhaps most importantly, Sanders has transformed what would have been an unbearably bleak finish to the season into appointment viewing for Browns fans. With matchups against Chicago, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati remaining, fans now have a reason to tune in rather than check out.
“For me, it’s revived the season to watch and see what happens,” Pluto said.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
If you have a question or a topic you’d like to see included on the podcast, email it to sports@cleveland.com, and put “Terry’s Talkin’” in the subject line.
You can find previous podcasts below.