Former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck doesn’t believe the Cleveland Browns — or any other team — view Shedeur Sanders as a piece they can build around moving forward.
Sanders is coming off a roller coaster rookie season. He tumbled from a projected first-round pick to the fifth round, getting scooped up with the Browns at pick No. 144.
Sanders worked his way up the depth chart and was the beneficiary of some good fortune, starting seven games as a rookie. Sanders went 3-4 in those starts, but he had some very defined highs and lows.
In all, Sanders passed for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He finished the regular season at or near the bottom of the league in several key categories. He placed 41st out of 42 passers with a 68.1 passer rating and 40th out of 41 quarterbacks with an 18.9 adjusted QBR.
Hasselbeck: Sanders Viewed Poorly Around League
Hasselbeck did not hold back on ESPN’s Get Up when asked how Sanders is viewed around the league.
“I think there are things he does at the position extremely well that you need to be able to do well to play in the National Football League,” Hasselbeck said. “That’s the good side of it. I think the bad side of it for him, I just think physically, there are limitations that he has as a player that I don’t know that anyone is building around that. Could he end up playing in the league for 10 years in some role as a backup and then maybe get an opportunity to play? Sure. He could.”
“There isn’t a single team of the 32 that would look at him right now and be like, ‘Yep, I want to build around that guy,’” Hasselbeck said. “I’m not saying that to be demeaning or mean. That’s just, that is the reality of who he actually is as a player and how he is viewed around the league.”
Sanders will compete for the starting quarterback job in Cleveland next season, with Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson also under contract. New head coach Todd Monken did not name a frontrunner, stopping short of saying Sanders has any edge despite finishing last season as the Browns’ starter.
“I think like any position on the team, that’s still to be determined,” Monken said. “Am I excited about Shedeur? Am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely. I can’t wait for them to get back and for us to get started.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Feels He Can ‘Dominate’ in NFL
Despite some uncertainty around his future, Sanders is not lacking confidence after getting his first taste of NFL action during his rookie season.
“That’s the most thing I appreciate about this year is that I proved to myself, I’m able to dominate the league,” Sanders told Kay Adams on the Up and Adams show. “I’m able to take completions, I’m able to put all of that together, and definitely in games, we have flashes, but I know I’m capable of doing that. Now, to do it on a consistent basis, that’s what the goal is. But for me in this past season, that’s what (I) proved to myself.”
Sanders is coming off his first Pro Bowl nod, earning a replacement spot. He threw two touchdowns — along with two interceptions — in the flag football game.
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