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Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders responded Thursday to recent comments made by former NFL coach and current ESPN pundit Rex Ryan.
Last week, Ryan condemned Sanders for his behavior during a segment on the network’s “Get Up.”
“This kid is mouthing, ‘He could be a starting quarterback,’ with his arms crossed like that. Get in the front row and study and do all that. If I know it, the whole league knows it,” Ryan said of Sanders. “Stop being an embarrassment like that. You have the talent to be a quarterback. You should be ashamed of not being the quarterback now.”
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Former Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan poses for a photo on the red carpet at the ESPN the Party event in Houston’s arts district. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Sanders responded to the criticism while speaking to reporters after Thursday’s practice.
“He’s just trying to start something,” Sanders said.
“We won’t do any negativity from now on. We won’t do that. I’m just here to be positive and I don’t talk about anything negative. That’s the new way, that’s what we’re going to move forward with. Anything negative, we won’t talk about it, we won’t talk about it.”
CAM NEWTON MAKES BOLD CLAIM ABOUT BROWNS’ MOTIVES AND HANDLING OF SHEDEUR SANDERS
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on September 28, 2025. (David Reginek/Imagn Images)
Sanders also addressed the public response to an incident last week, when reporters asked him his response to teammate and rookie Dillon Gabriel being named the team’s starting quarterback, and Sanders responded by mouthing words without saying anything.
“I guess not everyone likes to play all the time,” Sanders said. “So it’s about understanding how to be at all times and keeping my personality a little bit thinner, I guess. Because not everyone understands it all the time and you may not have full time to be able to explain things.”
After the team traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco this week, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski did not confirm that Sanders would be promoted to the No. 2 spot behind Gabriel for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stefanski told reporters he will “let the week go by” before deciding between Sanders and practice squad quarterback Bailey Zappe.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) listens to the national anthem before the game between the Browns and the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: (Ken Blaze/Image Images)
Sanders said he sees a “light at the end of the tunnel” regarding the situation.
“I’m in a great mental space overall,” Sanders said. “So I would say you tend to get a little more excited when you see a light at the end of the tunnel, for sure… Whatever my role is here, I’m grateful. I’m happy to be able to do that.”
