Browns Legend Unleashes on Shedeur Sanders Performance vs. Rams

Shedeur Sanders' performance in the Cleveland Browns' preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams had the NFL world abuzz for all the wrong reasons.

Aug 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) listens to the national anthem before the game between the Browns and the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders set out to build on his impressive preseason debut in the Cleveland Browns' final exhibition game against the Los Angeles Rams. Two weeks earlier, he got the start against the Carolina Panthers, with fellow quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel nursing hamstring injuries while Joe Flacco rested. He took full advantage of his unique opportunity.

In preseason Week 1, he finished with 14-of-23 passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Carolina. That performance spurred a lot of optimism that he could be the Browns' starting quarterback sooner rather than later. That optimism quickly flamed out against the Rams.

Versus LA, he completed just three passes on six attempts, totaling a meager 14 passing yards. He also took five sacks and lost 41 yards in the process. His struggles in the Browns' preseason finale elicited plenty of radical takes on both sides of the spectrum, anywhere from "Cleveland should cut Sanders" to "Head Coach Kevin Stefanski sabotaged him."

Hall of Fame former Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas pumps his fist as he walks on stage to announce the Browns’ second round pick during the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Joe Thomas piles on Shedeur Sanders' poor performance against LA Rams

It's undeniable that Shedeur Sanders stunk against the Los Angeles Rams. Whether Head Coach Kevin Stefanski should have yanked him for Tyler Huntley, who had his contract with the Cleveland Browns terminated shortly after the preseason finale, is an entirely different matter.

It's clear, though, that Sanders didn't perform the way he or the Browns wanted. Cleveland legend Joe Thomas recently weighed in on what he saw from the former Colorado Buffaloes star:

"Unfortunately, we saw a reversion to some of the things, some of the bad habits, from Shedeur in college. I mean, he took a zillion sacks in college, he drifts in the pocket. When he's not feeling comfortable or confident, he tries to escape the pocket from the backside, and teams in the NFL, they watch film."

"Unfortunately we saw a reversion to some of the things we saw some of the bad habits from Shedeur in college," - @joethomas73 on Shedeur's performance from Saturday. pic.twitter.com/T33PHItn5K

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 25, 2025

"There's a lot of eyes in the sky, there's a lot of guys in the booth that are coaches that can radio down to the sideline and say, 'Hey, remember what Shedeur was doing in college? He's doing it again, so instead of rushing to a spot nine yards behind the center where a quarterback is usually going to put his back foot, rush to 10 or 11 yards.' And as a tackle, you can't really push the defensive end any deeper than that without giving up inside rush or a bull-rush right on you, so there's really nothing you can do, and it only gets worse. So then the problems compound, and then he keeps trying to back up, and so he was never really able to dig himself out of that hole and those bad habits."

Sanders' pocket presence and decision-making were two of the biggest knocks on his scouting report coming out of Colorado. Against the Carolina Panthers, he was able to put his accuracy, mobility, and arm talent on display, but it's clear that there's plenty of work to be done before he can be a successful full-time starting quarterback in the NFL.