Skip Bayless drops new hot take about Tennessee Titans picking Cam Ward over Shedeur Sanders

Everyone has an opinion on the Cleveland Browns' fifth-round pick quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, as to whether he is the real deal or just a pretender.

This season, Sanders hasn't had the chance to show off his skills as he started as the third-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. After a rough start to the season, the Browns traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, named Gabriel the starter, and had Sanders earn the backup job.

Dillon hasn't exactly exploded on the scene as the starter, being 0-2 after losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers. He's completed just 57.3% of his passes for 430 yards and three touchdowns to zero interceptions in three games this year.

After the 23-9 loss to their AFC North rivals Pittsburgh Steelers, the door has opened for more conversation around when Sanders will get a chance to start at quarterback. The other part of the conversation that is beginning to emerge is how he would look if he started with another team.

During an episode of "The Arena: Gridiron," sports commentator Skip Bayless and the rest of the crew were reacting to the news of the Tennessee Titans firing their head coach, Brian Callahan, after a 1-5 start to the season. The Titans have been starting a rookie quarterback of their own, No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

Bayless couldn't help but bring up the fact that things might be a bit different for the Titans if they had decided to select Sanders instead of Ward at No. 1.

“If they had picked Shedeur instead of Cam, I don’t think this would have happened. That’s how good Shedeur is.”

“If they had picked Shedeur instead of Cam, I don’t think this would have happened. That’s how good Shedeur is.”@RealSkipBayless says that Brian Callahan could have avoided being fired if Titans had drafted Sanders 👀 pic.twitter.com/RZENSKXau6
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) October 13, 2025

Ward has not been off to a good start at all with the Titans, completing just 55% of his passes for 1,103 yards and three touchdowns to four interceptions. His team only has one win, and worst of all, leads the NFL in sacks allowed with 25.

There's plenty to like about Sanders from a physical and mental standpoint. He's proven to have the build of an NFL quarterback, and with his dad being Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion "Prime" Sanders, Shedeur has been able to learn the game from one of its best minds.

If it hadn't been for a reported rough interview process before the NFL Draft, Sanders might have been in a different situation. The Browns situation, though, likely worked out for the best for Sanders. He doesn't have to rush onto the field, learn the game, and still have a shot to play at the end of the season, depending on how the season goes.

Sanders might want to consider himself lucky not to be in the Titans' situation, as that would have been worse for his development in the NFL.