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A tumultuous start to Shedeur Sanders’ career is beginning to take shape.
After unexpectedly falling from a potential top-five pick to being selected in the fifth round, Sanders ended up being the third quarterback on the Cleveland Browns’ depth chart, in part because they traded Kenny Pickett.
Joe Flacco was traded and then fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel got hurt, giving Sanders an opportunity. He won his first NFL start and has remained a starter ever since.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws a pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Cleveland, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)
It’s been a mixed bag for Sanders, who has five touchdowns against six interceptions. Three of those touchdowns came last week against the Tennessee Titans, but three of his interceptions came in a 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears.
It doesn’t help that their top target, Jerry Jeudy, is having trouble catching the ball and their offensive line is depleted, but that’s why Browns legend Joe Thomas believes the Browns need to look beyond the scoreboard.
“I think he’s done a really good job… I think he has a great opportunity to make a name for himself and make his case as a franchise so the Browns can use their two first-round draft picks to build around him and then make him a starter in the offseason and in training camp and really give him every opportunity to win that job,” Thomas said in a recent interview with Pak Gazette Digital.
“For the guys that are in that room: the quarterback coach, the offensive coordinator, the guys that are teaching him and training him on what to do every day, there has to be a level of trust between them… It’s very important that he understands, ‘I need to do my job as if everyone else around me is going to do their job and have that trust,’ and whether they do that or not doesn’t affect their evaluation of him and the job that he’s doing in the room. “The progress that he’s making is a very difficult thing for anyone, much less for a rookie, but I think that is the key for him to be able to take those steps and show the Browns that he is their franchise player.”
Those two first-rounders, including his own who is currently ranked No. 4, could be enough to potentially move up to the top spot for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but Thomas said the Browns have the keys to the car and it’s up to them to unlock what they already have in Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders (12) and Teven Jenkins (74) of the Cleveland Browns celebrate a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
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“I think just trying to get him to understand that he has to operate within the confines of the offense and within what they’re asking him to do. But you still don’t want to handicap and handcuff what he’s really at his best at, which is making some off-schedule plays, rising to the moment, extending plays and finding those receivers on the field. That was something they hadn’t gotten from Dillon Gabriel earlier in the season, so I think those are the things with those explosive plays, those things that maybe they’re not written down, that’s where it can get separated…” Thomas said. “And I think that’s really the key, because that’s what made him such a popular player in college.
“That’s what keeps him being a really popular player and having a lot of people on his side, not just Browns fans. So I think you never want to handcuff a guy on his strengths, and you just want to try, within the confines of that offense, within what you’re asking of him, to allow him to unlock himself to really dive in and lean into what he does best.”
The 2025 season is another year the Browns will be home during Super Bowl weekend, but Thomas is helping fans make plans for Las Vegas by simply playing at UNO. Thomas has partnered with Mattel for the UN Elite Championships, which are free to enter, where the grand prize is a three-day trip to Las Vegas on Super Bowl weekend.
“It’s like a Hunger Games-style UN championship going on right now, people are going to kill each other for that trophy,” Thomas joked. “When you’re a kid, it’s an easy game to learn, it’s fun, but it’s also fun for parents. And so, as a lifelong UNO player, a lifelong UNO fan, and now that I have my own kids, we can play UNO at home, it was a great opportunity to collaborate with them.”
Browns fans are hoping they plan to have some real interest during the Super Bowl, and Thomas believes Sanders can give the fan base some hope.
“I think it’s a little challenging, but he’s got to do it with his game. And I think making those big plays in those moments down the stretch here, making those big throws, those are the things that can give Browns fans hope, right?” said Thomas. “Obviously, having your receivers hold up their end of the deal and catch the ball and complete those plays, but just seeing Shedeur out there, seeing him make those big plays, seeing him carry that team down the field in the two-minute drill, that would go a long way in giving Browns fans that feeling that this is the guy and giving them peace of mind that this franchise is in very good hands with him at quarterback. So that’s what I hope the rest of us find. the season.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
“Of course, we have some fun with Myles. [Garrett] chasing the sack record and a few more games this season to get it. But as much as it’s about Myles getting that sack record, we know the long-term health of this franchise has to do with the quarterback position. The early Christmas present would be to see Myles get the sack record this weekend and then also see Shedeur play a great game, minimize his mistakes and maybe have a winning drive and do the Josh Allen thing to Josh Allen, where he brings his team back and scores the points necessary to win, and I think a lot of people in Cleveland will have a Merry Christmas a little early.”
