A Cleveland Browns coach has hit back at claims that Shedeur Sanders had been snubbed of scout-team reps in the latest blow to his NFL career.
Reports emerged on Friday which claimed that Sanders was reduced to just ‘watching’ his teammates after falling down the pecking order in Cleveland.
ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo had said: ‘I’m hearing Shedeur is not even running scout team, he’s literally watching everyone.
‘Bailey Zappe’s running scout team. I don’t know if that’s true, that’s what I’m hearing. Why’s he [Sanders] on the team? Why is he even here?
‘If that’s what you think of him. Because his jersey is selling? The Haslems (Browns owners) don’t need jersey money, do they? Then why is he on the team, if he’s not even running scout team?’
However, Browns quarterback coach Billy Musgrave has put those rumors to bed and confirmed that Sanders is still getting his practice in with the Browns.
Reports claimed that Shedeur Sanders wasn’t getting reps for the Browns’ practice squad
However, Browns quarterback coach Bill Musgrave has dispelled those rumors
Speaking on Friday, Musgrave said: ‘We’re doing some things to replicate Baltimore’s quarterback Lamar (Jackson) this week with all three guys to really give the defense a good look.
‘Being a scout team quarterback, you’re working on your own craft but really it’s an art form to replicate the opponent so the defense can be ready to do their thing on Sunday.’
Despite a promising start to his preseason, things quickly came crashing down for Sanders and saw him slip down the pecking order at Cleveland.
Veteran star Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel were selected ahead of him – before the Browns later added Bailey Zappe to their roster at the end of August.
Zappe has been in the NFL since 2022, and has had a long starting stint in the league, coming with the New England Patriots two seasons ago.
Typically, practice-squad spots go to players who need weeks of development and could be solid players in the future, not ones with as much NFL experience as Zappe.
The Browns had as many as five quarterbacks on their roster during training camp, eventually releasing Tyler Huntley and trading Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Meanwhile, during his first outing for the Browns, Sanders threw two touchdown passes and was widely regarded as the standout performer of Week 1 of preseason, across the entire league.
Sanders will serve as third string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns this season
However, things came crashing down shortly after, when he was sacked a worrying five times by the Los Angeles Rams in a preseason game.
After coming on in the second half, he completed just three of his six throws for a total of 14 yards and was sacked a remarkable five times, for a loss of 41 yards.
In one particular play, he was slammed by fans for producing the ‘worst possible’ decision, dropping back from the 40-yard line, only to be brought down on his own 22.
Sanders – who suffered an embarrassing draft slide before being selected by the Browns with the 144th pick – played most of the second half before being replaced.
