Shedeur Sanders can be the 'franchise guy,' team should use picks to build around him, Browns legend says

A tumultuous opening to Shedeur Sanders' vocation is starting to instrumentality shape.

After unexpectedly falling from a imaginable top-five prime to being drafted successful the 5th round, Sanders coiled up being the 3rd backmost connected the Cleveland Browns' extent chart, successful portion due to the fact that they traded Kenny Pickett.

Joe Flacco was traded, and past chap rookie Dillon Gabriel got hurt, frankincense giving Sanders a chance. He won his archetypal NFL commencement and has remained the starter ever since.

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Cleveland Browns backmost Shedeur Sanders (12) throws a walk successful the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Baltimore Ravens successful Cleveland, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)

It's been a mixed container for Sanders, who has 5 touchdowns against six interceptions. Three of those touchdowns came past week against the Tennessee Titans, but 3 of his interceptions came successful a 31-3 beatdown by the Chicago Bears.

It doesn't assistance that his apical people successful Jerry Jeudy has occupation catching the shot and his violative enactment is depleted, but that's wherefore Browns fable Joe Thomas believes the Browns request to look beyond the container score.

"I deliberation he's done a truly bully occupation … I deliberation he's got a large accidental to marque a sanction for himself and marque a lawsuit to beryllium the franchise feline truthful that the Browns past tin usage their 2 first-round draught choices to physique astir him and past marque him the starter passim the offseason and into grooming campy and truly springiness him each accidental to triumph that job," Thomas said successful a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital.

"For the guys that are successful that room: the quarterback's coach, the violative coordinator, the guys that are teaching him and coaching him connected what to bash each azygous day, determination has to beryllium a level of spot betwixt them… It's precise important that helium understands, ‘I request to conscionable bash my occupation arsenic if each the different guys astir maine are going to bash their occupation and person that trust,’ and whether they bash it oregon not is not going to impact the valuation that they person of him and the occupation that he's doing successful the advancement that he's making. It's a precise hard happening for anybody to do, overmuch little a rookie. But I deliberation that's the cardinal close determination for him to beryllium capable to marque those steps to beryllium to the Browns that helium is their franchise guy."

Those 2 first-rounders, including their ain which presently sits astatine No. 4, could beryllium capable to perchance determination up to the apical spot for Heisman Trophy victor Fernando Mendoza, but Thomas said the Browns person the keys to the car, and it's connected them to unlock what they already person successful Sanders.

Cleveland Browns' Shedeur Sanders (12) and Teven Jenkins (74) observe a touchdown successful the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Tennessee Titans successful Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025.  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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"I deliberation conscionable trying to get him to recognize he's got to run wrong the confines of the discourtesy and wrong what they're asking him to do. But you inactive don't privation to handicap and handcuff what helium is truly astatine his champion with, which is making immoderate off-schedule plays, rising to the moment, extending plays and uncovering those receivers down the field. That was thing that they hadn't got from Dillon Gabriel earlier successful the season, and truthful I deliberation those are the things with those explosive plays, those things that possibly are unscripted, is wherever helium tin abstracted himself…" Thomas said. "And I deliberation that is truly the key, due to the fact that that's what made him specified a fashionable subordinate successful college. 

"That's what makes him proceed to beryllium a truly fashionable subordinate and to person a batch of radical connected his side, not conscionable Browns fans. So I deliberation you ne'er privation to handcuff a feline from what his strengths are, and you privation to conscionable effort to, wrong the confines of that offense, wrong what you're asking him to, let him to beryllium unlocked to truly dive successful and thin into what helium does best."

The 2025 run is different twelvemonth erstwhile the Browns volition beryllium location during Super Bowl weekend, but Thomas is helping fans person Las Vegas plans simply by playing UNO. Thomas partnered with Mattel for the UNO Elite Championships, which are escaped to registry for, wherever the expansive prize is simply a three-day travel to Las Vegas connected Super Bowl weekend.

"It's similar a Hunger Games-style UNO title going connected close now, radical are going to beryllium sidesplitting each different implicit that trophy," Thomas joked. "When you're a kid, it's an casual crippled to learn, it's fun, but it's besides amusive for the parents. And so, arsenic a lifelong UNO player, a lifelong UNO fan, and present that I've got my ain kids, we get to play UNO astatine home, it was a chill accidental to collaborate with them."

Browns fans are hoping to person plans to person a existent rooting involvement during the Super Bowl, and Thomas believes Sanders tin springiness the instrumentality basal immoderate hope.

"I deliberation it's a spot challenging, but he's got to bash it with his play. And I deliberation making those large plays successful those moments down the agelong here, making those big-time throws, those are the things that tin springiness Browns fans hope, right?" Thomas said. "Obviously, having your receivers clasp up their extremity of the bargain and catching the shot and completing those plays, but conscionable seeing Shedeur retired there, seeing him marque those large plays, seeing him instrumentality that squad down the tract successful the two-minute drill, that would spell a agelong mode for giving Browns fans the feeling that this is the feline and giving them comfortableness that this franchise is successful truly bully hands with him astatine quarterback. So that's what I'm hoping that we find the remainder of the season.

Cleveland Browns backmost Shedeur Sanders (12) passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, successful Cleveland.  (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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"Of course, we person immoderate amusive sprinkled successful determination with Myles [Garrett] chasing the sack grounds and a fewer much games this play to beryllium capable to hopefully get that. But arsenic overmuch arsenic it is astir Myles getting that sack record, we cognize the semipermanent wellness of this franchise is each astir the backmost position. The aboriginal Christmas contiguous would beryllium to spot Myles get the sack grounds this play and past besides spot Shedeur play a large game, minimize his mistakes, and possibly person a game-winning thrust and bash the Josh Allen happening to Josh Allen, wherever helium brings his squad back, and helium scores the points indispensable to win, and I deliberation a batch of radical successful Cleveland volition beryllium having a precise Merry Christmas a small spot early."

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