Shedeur Sanders had the worst QBR (18.9) among Browns quarterbacks with at least six starts, and he is going to the Pro Bowl.

The NFL announced on January 26th that the Browns' rookie will be on the AFC Pro Bowl roster as a replacement quarterback. Many have criticized that decision, but ESPN expert Tony Rizzo stands by him.

"Shedeur Sanders. Hey, now, go on, young man. Enjoy yourself," he said as he clapped and cheered for the Browns' rookie on 850 ESPN Cleveland. Talking about how terrible the 2025 Browns' team was, the ESPN expert added:

"That kid went three and four, man. I'm telling you right now, that's something to build on. And if you don't see it, you're stupid, honestly. Like, what have you got to lose? Get somebody in here who can develop a quarterback and watch what happens. I like the kid. I believe in the kid."

Take a look at Sanders' performance this season. He threw for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 8 games this season. That is the 15th most interceptions, and he is the only one with fewer than 10 games in the top 15. But it would be wrong to entirely blame him.

The rookie did not get first-team reps under Kevin Stefanski, and the latter also does not have the best track record with developing QBs, as Rizzo pointed out. Plus, the Browns' OL was not good as well, allowing 53 team sacks in the 2025 season.

They also surrendered 224 total pressures on 643 pass plays, including 29 sacks just from pressures. Plus, Shedeur Sanders was also accurate, one of his best things this season. He averaged 7.6 yards per attempt on standard dropbacks from the pocket, ranking 7th among 46 QBs.

But not everybody is in favor of him being in the Pro Bowl.

Skip Bayless congratulated him but said, "Obviously, on sheer performance, he did not deserve to be in the Pro Bowl, because he started seven games, went 3-4, had seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

That’s not Pro Bowl resume yet.” What is Sanders himself saying?

What Does Shedeur Sanders Have To Say About himself

The Browns' rookie is the third player from the 2025 Browns team, after DE Myles Garrett and CB Denzel Ward, to make the Pro Bowl. He is also the first Browns QB to be named to the Pro Bowl since Derek Anderson in 2007.

Though he wasn't the original pick for the Pro Bowl, it was Drake Maye. But since he is going to the Super Bowl and Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and others were also unable to play due to injuries or other commitments, Sanders was selected.

"Thank you God. I'm beyond excited and extremely grateful for all the love and support from the coaches, players, and fans," he said in a statement. "This wouldn't be possible without the support behind me. Still plenty of work to do."

Shedeur Sanders is the first Browns rookie quarterback to win his debut start since Eric Zeier in 1995. But then again, Shedeur Sanders took 3.19 seconds on average to throw the ball. That is the fourth-longest in a single season since 2000. Let us know your thoughts.

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu