The crucial context behind Shedeur Sanders’ eye-popping practice stats

The crucial context behind Shedeur Sanders’ eye-popping practice stats

The Browns quarterbacks’ stats were tracked during Wednesday’s OTAs session and a certain polarizing fifth-round draft selection had some eye-popping numbers.

In a graphic posted to X by ESPN Cleveland, Shedeur Sanders looked to have had far and away the best session Wednesday — an efficient 7-of-9 with a team-leading three touchdowns.

But Sanders’ numbers lacked crucial context: he did not participate in any 11-on-11 drills.

While he still certainly had himself a nice day, Sanders only took 7-on-7 reps whereas the 11-on-11 drills were split between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow 2025 draft pick Dillon Gabriel.

On Thursday’s episode of the “Orange and Brown Talk” podcast, hosts Dan Labbe, Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock discussed the misrepresentation of the OTAs stats.

Shedeur Sanders is looking to make his way up the Browns’ depth chart as he’s currently quarterback No. 4. AP

“Shedeur Sanders, as we so aptly told everybody yesterday, did not take one rep in 11-on-11s,” Cabot said. “He has to come in here as the fourth-string quarterback and work his way up that depth chart. So, he did not take a team rep. He did not have Mason Graham in his face yesterday at all.”

Sanders, and any other quarterback, will have a better performance without a defensive line putting any pressure on him in a 7-on-7 setting.

Kenny Pickett (8) and Joe Flacco (15) are the Browns’ top two quarterbacks on the depth chart at this stage in the offseason. AP

“There’s just no real context to those numbers either in that graphic,” Bastock added. “Basically what you’re saying, one guy, Shedeur, was not in 11-on-11s at all. The other guy’s numbers, I would ᴀssume, but I don’t know for sure, include their 11-on-11 numbers.”

The crew emphasized the importance of this context, as social media was a bit set ablaze upon seeing Sanders one-up the rest of the Cleveland quarterback room by such a wide margin.

“The thing took on a life of its own,” Labbe said. “Everybody’s picking up on this and everybody’s talking about it and it’s showing up on national TV shows and people were seeing major media outlets tweet it and put it on their socials and all of that.”

Dillon Gabriel was selected in the third round of this year’s draft — ahead of Shedeur Sanders who was taken in the fifth. AP

While it’s true that all drills aren’t created equally, Sanders did go out and do what he needed to Wednesday — whether the stats are a bit misleading or not.

“This is the celebrity, this is the world of Shedeur Sanders,” Labbe said. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He just showed up and practiced. But the rest of the world has run with these OTA stats.”

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