Sean McDermott Just Said Something That Changes the Narrative on Shedeur Sanders

Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders has had his fair share of ups and down so far in his early NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. Even though he's struggled for much of the season, Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott has been impressed.

Dec 7, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) warms up before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders and his Cleveland Browns will be hosting star quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Dec. 21. These are two teams that are going in completely different directions as the Browns are reeling with a record of 3-11 and the Bills are getting hot with a record of 10-4.

Despite all the negative noise around the Browns following their 31-3 loss last week to the Chicago Bears, Bills coach Sean McDermott spoke highly of Shedeur. 

Sean McDermott on Shedeur Sanders: “He’s Done A Great Job”

Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Sean McDermott was asked by reporters this week about what he's seen from Shedeur Sanders. He believes that the Browns offense has taken a step forward from where it was earlier in the season.

“Good player. Good young player, off to a great start. Dangerous with the toolset that he brings to the table," McDermott said. “He’s done a great job. I think their offense is actually ratcheted it up since he’s been under center. That will be a big challenge for us.”

Last week was a tough game for Shedeur and the Browns offense. In the loss to the Bears, Shedeur went 18/35 passing for 177 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. The Browns offense was only able to muster three points and gained just 192 yards of offense. 

This was coming off what was maybe their biggest output of the season against the Tennessee  Titans the week prior. Sanders threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns while the Browns scored a season high 29 points. 

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) walks off the field after losing to the Tennessee Titans in an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Dec. 7, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

McDermott’s compliment of Shedeur is quite the contrary to what others have said. Bill Barnwell on ESPN had this to say about Sanders just two weeks ago. 

“Is Shedeur an NFL caliber starter? Not so far. The 23-year-old has been below average or worse across the board by just about every measure of quarterback play,” Barnwell said. 

Since this was said, Shedeur has played twice, one being his best game against the Titans and the other being one of his worst, against the Bears. 

A Polarizing Figure

Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders with son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders has been a polarizing for a long time. At Colorado in 2023 and 2024, all eyes were on Shedeur. Even with the Buffaloes not being in national title talks, people still wanted to see how he would play in a power conference with his dad Deion Sanders as the coach. Colorado was consistently among the highest rated teams on television in Shedeur's time there. 

Shedeur Sanders was statistically one of the best quarterbacks in the country from 2023-2024. He threw for 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns and was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024; helping lead the Buffaloes to a nine win season. 

Shedeur entered the 2026 NFL Draft and was expected to be a first or second round pick, but ended up falling to the fifth round. This became the main talking point of NFL Draft coverage, as analysts kept going back and forth trying to figure out why Shedeur fell so far. 

As for Colorado and “Coach Prime,” they did not find a way to replace Shedeur and saw their 9-3 record from 2024 turn into a 3-9 season in 2025.