Everyone seemingly has an opinion on Cleveland Browns‘ rookie quarterback. Add one of his fellow rookies and teammates to the list.

Browns standout linebacker Carson Schwesinger recently made an appearance on NFL Network’s “The Insiders” and shared some major praise for his polarizing teammate.

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“Just for him specifically, being able to go in there and run the offense as a rookie, it’s a hard thing to do,” the second-round pick said. “As someone who was calling the defense, obviously, I think doing that on offense was a lot bigger of a job, but a little bit of understanding there, and kind of what it takes. So being able to do that and have the poise, and then you see growth every week, and I think really, that’s what you can ask for.”

Schwesinger can certainly relate, having been thrust into the responsibility of serving as the ‘green dot’ on Cleveland’s defense after veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks retired suddenly during training camp.

Despite his inexperience, the UCLA product thrived in the role, posting an absolutely brilliant 2025 season en route to earning the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Sanders’ season wasn’t quite as impressive statistically; he completed just 56.6% of his passes, for 1,400 yards, tossed seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

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However, in the eight appearances and seven starts, he flashed enough to have put himself in a position to potentially compete for the starting job this offseason.

Perhaps one of the most important takeaways from Sanders’ time under center, as Schwesinger pointed out, was that nothing seemed to big for him on the field. The poise he showed running the Browns offense was well beyond that of many rookie QBs.

The fact that Sanders’ teammates noticed those qualities as well could aid his cause in trying to become the team’s full-time starter. That said, the Browns brass, including new head coach Todd Monken have made their intentions clear regarding the QB position.

They’re keeping their options open this offseason, but Sanders’ is, at least, squarely in the conversation because of the things his teammates like Schwesinger noticed in year one.

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