Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders has been working hard to climb the quarterback depth chart for his new team. The former Colorado football superstar has dominated NFL headlines ever since he took his shocking slide to the fifth round on draft night.
In a recent appearance on 97.1 The Fan, Colorado defensive pass rush coordinator Warren Sapp addressed Sanders with some cryptic comments on the Buffaloes legend.
“I'm not able to plead his case for him, he'll do it himself,” Sapp said. “Just like I told you, Shedeur will do everything he needs to do to show y'all what kind of player he is.”
Unlike most recent takes on Sanders, Sapp’s comments were fairly neutral. It is safe to say Sapp is well aware of Sanders’ undeniable talent, but the fifth-round rookie will still have to prove himself as he competes with three other signal-callers in Cleveland.
Sanders has emerged as a tentative favorite to pass fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in Cleveland’s quarterback hierarchy, but he also has to deal with former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco and the more experienced Kenny Pickett.
Since before he was drafted, Sanders has experienced plenty of controversial attention for his negative pre-draft reports and the heavy involvement of his father, Deion. Shedeur has already been floated in various trade rumors as well.
While many fans would expect someone like Sapp to vouch heavily for Shedeur, it may work in the 23-year-old quarterback’s favor to receive as little media attention – positive or negative – as possible. Given the heavy spotlight he has received for a large part of his young career, Shedeur could use a break from all the noise.
Only time will tell if the Colorado icon can make a name for himself in the NFL.