Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has some advice for the Cleveland Browns: Start rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
When not proposing to recent podcast guests, Kelce dished out some advice to an NFL rival on a recent episode of New Heights.
The Cleveland Browns have been mired in narratives and commentary around their quarterback room, as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders battled one another and veteran Joe Flacco for the starting spot. In the end, Flacco got the nod, with Gabriel No. 2 and Sanders bringing up the rear.
The drumbeat around Sanders has been deafening all preseason, with some feeling as though the Browns set him up to fail, while others believe he’s proven why he fell to the fifth round in the NFL Draft.
The way Kelce sees it, you might as well trot Sanders out there as your starter because so many people are rooting for him to succeed.
“Give the people what they want, in terms of the Browns fans,” Kelce said. “Start Shedeur. Give the people what they want. The world wants to see him go out there, and not only play, but have success. At this point, guys are rooting for him. This isn’t anything against Dillon. This isn’t anything against Joe. I’m just saying the excitement is there for [Sanders] to go out there. He’s going to put eyes on the screen. He’s going to bring people to the game.”
It’s a bit odd to hear an active NFL player offer up advice to another team, but it’s par for the course with our modern media landscape. And there’s some truth to what Kelce is saying, as the Browns are likely to be bad this year, so you might as well play the quarterback that everyone is talking about.
You could also put an end to the debate once and for all. If Sanders excels, he’ll have proven the doubters wrong. If he fails, he can go back into a backup role, and the Browns won’t have lost much for it.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.