ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky made it clear that he's not going to walk on eggshells when talking about Shedeur Sanders.
The Cleveland Browns announced this week that Sanders will start in their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. In theory, it seems like a great opportunity for the rookie quarterback from Colorado. Some people, such as ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Robert Griffin III, are convinced the Browns are trying to sabotage the 144th overall pick.
"I think he’s being set up to fail," Smith said. "That’s right, I’m going to say it. Here we are on national television, right? There have been 11 practices, if I remember correctly. He’s been playing against the third unit. He’s fourth on the depth chart. And then suddenly you throw him into the starting lineup, and he hasn’t had any reps with the first team at all. Think about that. So you’re just going to throw him to the wolves like that, huh? I mean, if he had first-team snaps in practice, I don’t say that. But he doesn’t. And then all of a sudden, he’s starting tomorrow night. It’s like you want him to fail."
On Thursday, Orlovsky clapped back at this narrative about Sanders and the Browns.
"Will everyone stop with the Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail narrative? Who do you want to start the game? It's preseason Week 1," Orlovsky said in a video shared on X. "The first option is Joe Flacco. He has played for 20 years - he's not going to start preseason Week 1. The next two options would be Kenny Pickett or Dillon Gabriel. They're both dealing with hamstring injuries and neither have practiced a ton recently."
Orlovsky wasn't done discussing Sanders' preseason debut.
"It's an opportunity for him. It might not be the ideal opportunity - very rarely is it for a fifth-round pick, but it's an opportunity for him to go out there and do in a game what many have reported he has done in practice. Stop with the he's being set up to fail narrative."
Sure, Sanders has gotten the fewest reps with the team's starters at training camp. We can't ignore that fact. Does that mean he's being set up to fail though? Absolutely not.
"He's excited," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said of Sanders. "And he knew he was going to play a good bit in these preseason games. The competitor in him is very excited."
We can't wait to see how Sanders performs under the bright lights.
Kickoff for the Browns-Panthers game is at 7 p.m. ET.
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