Quarterback Shedeur Sanders will start for the Cleveland Browns in the team’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. Due to his lack of reps with the first team, many in the media are saying Sanders has been set up to fail. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky disagrees with that notion.
Is Shedeur Sanders Being Set Up To Fail By The Browns?
"I think [Shedeur Sanders] is being set up to fail."
—@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/gU32q1s2Cw
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 7, 2025
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that Sanders would start at quarterback for the Browns’ Week 1 preseason game.
That came as a surprise to some, considering Sanders has been fourth on the depth chart during training camp. Sanders even admitted that he was throwing to equipment managers due to the lack of wide receivers.
Many of Orlovsky’s colleagues at ESPN believe the Browns are setting Sanders up to fail.
On Get Up, Louis Riddick fears for Sanders, who enters Friday night without significant reps with the starters.
“I’m afraid he’s going to get on the field in preseason games without a lot of practice reps,” said Riddick. “And then they are going to ask him to perform these heroic tasks in order to prove that he’s worthy of being a starter when he really hasn’t had enough reps to really get comfortable.”
On First Take, Smith agreed with Riddick’s statements about the Browns doing Sanders a disservice.
“I think he [Sanders] is being set up to fail,” Smith said. “There’s 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 … so you just going to throw him to the wolves like that?”
Dan Orlovsky Defends Browns
Can this narrative stop? pic.twitter.com/0XwLyuDOnb
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 7, 2025
Orlovsky saw things the other way. When he broke down the candidates who could play quarterback on Friday night, Sanders was the only logical option.
“Will everybody stop with the Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail narrative?” Orlovsky said on X. “Who do you want to start the game? It’s preseason Week 1. First option, Joe Flacco. He’s played for like 20 years. He’s not going to start preseason Week 1.
“The next two options would be a Kenny Pickett or a Dillon Gabriel. Both are dealing with hamstring injuries. Neither has practiced a ton recently. If they’ve done anything, I believe it’s been 7-on-7. Who do you want to start the game? The next two options are Shedeur and [Tyler] Snoop Huntley. Shedeur has been there. Snoop Huntley just got there.”
If the decision comes down to Sanders or Huntley, Orlovsky is correct to choose the rookie out of Colorado. Sanders has been in training camp with the team from the beginning. Therefore, he’s the top option to start against the Panthers.
“So while Shedeur may not have had reps with the ones, what else do you want them to do in Cleveland? It’s an opportunity for him. It may not be the ideal opportunity, very rarely is it for a fifth-round pick,” Orlvosky added. “But it’s an opportunity for him to go out there and do in a game what many have reported he’s done in practice. Stop with the ‘set up to fail’ narrative.”
