Skip Bayless blasts the Browns over their “outrageously wrong” handling of Shedeur Sanders
The situation surrounding the young quarterback continues to be a topic of debate: Should Deshaun Watson be the starter in Cleveland?
S kip Bayless once again launched harsh criticism at the Cleveland Browns over the way they have handled Shedeur Sanders heading into the 2026 NFL season. The controversial analyst believes the franchise has not given the quarterback the opportunity he deserves after being selected in the Draft.
Bayless questions the Browns’ treatment of Shedeur Sanders
Sanders will enter his second NFL season after being selected in the fifth round of the Draft . During his rookie campaign, he had the opportunity to start several games, showing flashes of the talent that made him one of the most talked-about players of his generation.
However, the Browns decided to keep Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback to begin the season, relegating Sanders to a backup role and creating uncertainty about his immediate future in Cleveland.
Bayless did not hesitate to voice his disagreement with the situation surrounding the young quarterback.
“I have never encountered a situation more agonizing, more tormenting, more mind-blowing, more wrong than what has happened to Shedeur Sanders. I hurt for Shedeur Sanders. I hurt for his father Deion, whom I know well, because Shedeur Sanders is now stuck with the Cleveland Browns, one of the worst teams in the National Football League, and he is now relegated to splitting scout team reps with rookie Taylen Green,” Bayless said.
The analyst also questioned the position Sanders holds within the team’s quarterback hierarchy.
“Shedeur is stuck on a franchise that now I believe ranks him as the fourth-best quarterback in their building because they have now stashed Dillon Gabriel, a former third-round pick, from Shedeur’s draft class. They had already taken Gabriel earlier, and then they selected Shedeur as a complete afterthought, as a sideshow to take some of the focus off the mess Jimmy Haslam has created in this franchise by taking Shedeur in the fifth round.”
Shedeur Sanders’ future in Cleveland
Despite the difficult situation, Sanders still has plenty of time to prove his value in the NFL . His main goal will be to stay prepared and take advantage of any opportunity that may arise, either with the Browns or another franchise in the future.
Cleveland will look to improve on its 5-12 record in 2025 , return to the playoffs after two seasons away, and end a 33-year drought without a division title. The last time the Browns won their division was in the former AFC Centra l in 1989 .
The 2026 season will begin for Cleveland with two road games: September 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and September 20 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers .
