The Cleveland Browns led for most of their matchup on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens but had to replace rookie QB Dillon Gabriel with another rookie, Shedeur Sanders, to start the second half. The Browns ended up losing 23-16, despite a solid final drive that brought the ball into Ravens territory.
Gabriel never came out of the locker room after being evaluated for a concussion, which threw Sanders into the fire with almost no reps with the first-team offense—a situation he admitted after the loss.
Sanders finished 4-for-16 for 47 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. After the game, he was seen sitting alone on the Browns bench, which drew a reaction from former NFL coach Rex Ryan, who has previously criticized Sanders for his off-field actions.
“Then the other thing is Shedeur, he’s got to get over himself too,” Ryan said. “Like he’s there by himself on the bench. I’ve seen it in the seventh game of the World Series when you lose a game. Did he care? Or are you trying to make it a show and make it about yourself? You got a guy over there, by the way, that is a two-time MVP right there, Lamar Jackson. He was looking for you, he was looking for you. Share a moment with him, share a moment with Lamar. He’s looking all over for you. Talk about I’m not comfortable losing. You think anybody in that locker room is… but I want to see, is it Shedeur or is it the coach? Who the hell’s at fault here because there’s a disconnect.”
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Before that statement, Rex Ryan, however, made sure to hold the Browns organization accountable as well for how they’ve handled the rookie quarterback throughout the season after selecting him in the NFL draft.
“When you see this young man, like I don’t know who’s fault it is. Is it this kid’s fault for some reason, or is it the organization that has failed this guy?” Ryan added. “But number one, my biggest question is, you traded up to get this guy, so clearly you think he has the talent to play the position. Why hadn’t he had a chance? He had no reps with the ones. How the hell does that happen?”
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