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Rookie defender Shedeur Sanders is currently in Quarterback Purgatory with the Cleveland Browns. But the NFL cornerback's top agent believes there is hope for his career as a starter.
Sanders' teammate and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel was named Brown's starting quarterback with the team Veteran trader Joe Flacco at the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.
Sanders, now the team's second-string hitter behind Gabriel, drew mixed media attention last week when asked about Gabriel being named the starter. Sanders responded silently, words without conversation, like a mime.
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Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Shedeer Sanders, front, walks off the field after the NFL football team's rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Agent Leigh Steinberg, who represented a record eight overall No. 1 draft picks, suggested Sanders' response was the product of competitive frustration.
“I thought he was OK with the answer,” Steinberg told Fox News Digital. “It is unrealistic to expect the players to be delighted and excited about the reserve situation.”
Still, Steinberg hoped Sanders would provide a more substantive response if the newcomer were his client.
“I think the answer would really be in two parts. Number one: “Obviously, I want to be a starter in this league and I think that's my destiny, but at the same time, I'll do whatever I can to support Dillon Gabriel.” “I think that’s the answer,” Steinberg said.
Gabriel passed for 190 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in his first start for the Browns on Sunday, but the team lost to the Minnesota Vikings 21-17. Gabriel earned a starting second-string spot for Cleveland after being selected with the team's third-round pick in this year's draft.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) looks to pass the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter of the NFL International Series at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 5, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagen Images)
Sanders, despite being considered a superior prospect than Gabriel coming out of college, was not selected until the fifth round when the Browns selected him with the 144th pick. Sanders was the projected No. 1 overall pick entering the draft but fell to the fifth round in one of the most surprising and unprecedented drafts in NFL history.
And now Sanders is relegated to a backup role behind another rookie in Cleveland, as Gabriel could end up being the Browns' long-term starter, leaving Sanders without a clear path to becoming a starter himself. But Steinberg, as an agent, believes he's “pretty sure” Sanders will start at quarterback at some point this year.
Steinberg also believes sitting will still be beneficial to Sanders' stock at quarterback in the long run.
“If Dillon Gabriel turns out to be the quarterback of the future, someone else will give Shedeur Sanders a chance,” Steinberg said.
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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before the game against the Packers Green Bay at Huntington Bank Field on September 21, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
“Use time as a backup to learn as much as [you can]Field Not starting the first year is what Jump started the career of Jordon Love, Patrick MahomesAaron Rodgers – all these players sat for a year.”
Steinberg said the amount of time Sanders has to wait patiently as a backup is “a couple of years away” before moving on to a new team.
“At this point, all you know as an agent for a backup is that someone else gets their chance and we'll see and make decisions later depending on what the situation is,” Steinberg said.
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