Former ESPN Analyst Says Browns Should Trade Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel

Shedeur Sanders played with a motley crew in Cleveland's final preseason game over the weekend. The rookie quarterback struggled before being replaced late by a player who would be released two days later.

Coach Kevin Stefanski has been criticized for the way he handled Sanders all camp despite the fact that he was a fifth round pick in a very crowded quarterback room. While Stephen A. Smith doesn't blame Stefanski, there are plenty who do, including former ESPN commentator Robert Griffin III who insists that despite the fact that Sanders was a fifth round pick, he's not a fifth round talent.

Shedeur Sanders was never given equal opportunity to compete with Dillon Gabriel and the Browns showed us that throughout training camp and the preseason. If was a real competition, Dillon and Shedeur would have played with the same talent around them in the last game.

Full… pic.twitter.com/nf0wX2dqJ5
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 25, 2025

"When Shedeur Sanders was put out there with the proper talent around him he excelled," said Griffin. "Two touchdowns. Shined on the big stage. I know it was the preseason, but it was the most-watched preseason game in over a decade. Shined. But when they put him out there with talent of guys that aren't going to be on NFL rosters, that was the result."

Griffin continued, saying that by drafting Sanders and not properly evaluating him, they put both rookies in a bad situation.

"So when people say hey they're setting him up for failure, this is what they're talking about. I believe the Browns have good intentions for all their quarterbacks in their room. I don't believe that their execution of making it look like they have the best interest of everybody in the room was there. How can you get a proper assessment of Shedeur Sanders if you don't allow him to play with the same players that Dillon Gabriel played with?"

"It doesn't make sense," Griffin continued. "You set yourself up for that. So I say that in closing that I believe the Browns need to trade either Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders. Because right now it's not about it not being fair for either guy. It's not a growth or leadership environment for either guy. And that makes it a bad, toxic situation around their quarterback conversation in the media."

Imagine if it were that easy to make this all stop.