Shedeur Sanders is entering training camp in an undesirable position at the bottom of the Cleveland Browns' quarterback depth chart.
The 23-year-old impressed in the spring behind the scenes and with his dazzling accuracy in team drills, but with the pads coming on and the competition intensifying, his place on the roster remains unclear.
Due to his star power, there has been persistent optimism in the media that Shedeur has a chance to improve his standing dramatically this summer.
One national analyst's assessment of the situation wasn't quite as optimistic.
ESPN's Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi did a piece breaking down the club's signal-caller battle heading into camp and tried to re-establish Shedeur's expectations.
"Sanders didn't receive a single snap with the first-team offense in a practice open to the media," Oyefusi wrote. "The Browns have been impressed with Sanders, both on the field and within the building, but did he do enough in the spring to get practice time with the starters?”
Even if Sanders continues to work with and against the second team, his performance in training camp and in the preseason will be important for him to possibly secure a top backup role during the regular season."
Shedeur's lack of X's and O's knowledge allegedly contributed to his free fall in the draft. If he's already that far behind mentally paired and continues to lack self-awareness, he could be closer to a cut candidate than earning the starting nod.
The Colorado product will get a fair chance, but he'll have to earn his stay in the NFL.