Colin Cowherd reveals startling reason why the Cleveland Browns may have drafted Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns have had an interesting offseason following a 3-14 campaign last year. Cleveland now has a crowded quarterback room, which will eventually force the team to make some tough decisions. Deshaun Watson is still rehabbing from his Achilles injury and may not play during the 2025 season. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are […]
The Cleveland Browns have had an interesting offseason following a 3-14 campaign last year. Cleveland now has a crowded quarterback room, which will eventually force the team to make some tough decisions.
Deshaun Watson is still rehabbing from his Achilles injury and may not play during the 2025 season. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are joined by two rookies—Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The Browns doubled down on the quarterback position in the draft after Sanders slid to the fifth round, prompting them to trade up to select him.
Colin Cowherd offered an interesting take on why Sanders ended up in Cleveland and who may have played a role in making it happen.
“The owner of the Browns, Jimmy Haslam, is really impulsive,” Cowherd said on Monday. “He drafted Johnny Manziel over better quarterbacks. He drafted Baker Mayfield. He signed Deshaun Watson to a ridiculous guaranteed deal despite all sorts of personal allegations against him—probably the league’s worst contract ever.”
In a quarterback room with zero star power except Shedeur Sanders, he’s gonna get a chance. There is a lot of belief in the NFL that Jimmy Haslam is the reason Cleveland finally drafted Shedeur Sanders. He is desperate to be recognized and for star power.”
Cleveland could start the season with either Flacco or Pickett, relying on experience early on. But at some point, the Browns will need to evaluate their rookie quarterbacks—especially since they own two first-round picks in the 2026 draft.
Sanders arrives with the popularity tied to his father, Deion Sanders, who coached him at Colorado. The rookie plays with a swagger that’s easy for fans to rally behind. If he can find success in Cleveland, the fanbase will likely embrace him quickly.
Whether Cowherd’s take on why the Browns drafted Sanders in the fifth round is accurate or not won’t matter in the long run. What will matter is whether Sanders becomes a late-round gem—or just another name that fails to stick on the roster.
