Dan Orlovsky is hand-waving all the doom narratives surrounding Shedeur Sanders.<\/p>\n
The ESPN analyst pushed back against the idea that the Browns are setting up Sanders to fail, as championed by ex-ESPNer Robert Griffin III, especially after Cleveland tapped the fifth-round pick to start its preseason opener<\/a> Friday despite limited first-team reps.<\/p>\n \u201cWill everybody stop with the Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail narrative,\u201d Orlovsky said in a video posted to X.<\/p>\n The idea that the Browns are putting Sanders in an unfavorable position picked up steam earlier this week with a tweet from Griffin, who spent the 2016 season with Cleveland.<\/p>\n Griffin made his comments before the Browns announced Sanders, the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, would start Friday against the Panthers.<\/p>\n \u201cShedeur Sanders is being set up to fail in Cleveland,\u201d Griffin wrote Monday on X<\/a>. \u201cBut God\u2019s got him showing out even with limited reps.\u201d<\/p>\n Even ESPN\u2019s Stephen A. Smith said Thursday on \u201cFirst Take\u201d that Sanders \u201cis being set up to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n Orlovsky\u2019s and Smith\u2019s colleague, Louis Riddick, didn\u2019t go as far as Griffin, but noted that the former Colorado quarterback is \u201cice skating uphill.\u201d<\/p>\n Shedeur Sanders will start for the Browns on Friday. AP<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid he\u2019s going to get on the field in preseason games without a lot of practice reps and then they\u2019re going to ask him to perform these heroic tasks in order to prove that he\u2019s worthy of being a starter when he hasn\u2019t had enough reps to really get comfortable,\u201d Riddick said recently on ESPN\u2019s \u201cGet Up.\u201d<\/a> \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of battle he\u2019s dealing with right now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know how that goes. You don\u2019t get enough reps, they play you a whole half of a game, and then coaches are going, \u2018Why are you making that mistake? What aren\u2019t you making that check? Why aren\u2019t you doing that technique?\u2019 \u2018Well, damn, coach, I was never in there in practice, you never even talked to me during practice but now you expect me to know.\u2019 That\u2019s what they\u2019re going to expect of him, but if anyone can get it done, it\u2019s this kid because he\u2019s been trained the right way. But I am telling you, he\u2019s ice skating uphill, he just is and every time you hear this organization talk, you just get this feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n Former ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III. Getty Images<\/p>\n Orlovsky\u2019s counter focused on the reality of the situation in Cleveland.<\/p>\n Joe Flacco, the 40-year-old who may start the regular-season opener, isn\u2019t going to start the first preseason game.<\/p>\n Kenny Pickett has a hamstring injury<\/a>. <\/p>\n Fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick, is also sidelined.<\/p>\n And veteran Tyler \u201cSnoop\u201d Huntley just arrived to provide a body for practice<\/a>.<\/p>\n The process of elimination leaves Sanders as the clear option to start.<\/p>\n ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky. @danorlovsky7\/X<\/p>\n \u201cSo while Shedeur may not have had reps with the ones, what else do you want them to do in Cleveland?\u201d Orlovsky said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for him, it may not be the ideal opportunity, very rarely is it for a fifth-round pick, but it\u2019s an opportunity for him to go out there and do in a game what many have reported he\u2019s done in practice. Stop with the set up to fail narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n How Sanders fares could play a role in the Browns\u2019 quarterback plans.<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare for teams to have four signal callers on their 53-man roster, but ESPN\u2019s NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Cleveland is \u201cmore than likely\u201d<\/a> to carry all four.<\/p>\n It\u2019s always possible the Browns could trade one of Pickett or Flacco when injuries inevitably arise during the weeks leading up to the regular season, clearing the path for both Sanders and Gabriel.<\/p>\n