Kevin Stefanski deliberately protecting Colorado Buffaloes football's Shedeur Sanders during Browns training camp
They don't want the 'Grown QB' to be exposed during the difficult early portion of the team's schedule.
'The excitement surrounding Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is palpable, but there's a major reason the organization appears in no rush to throw him into the starting lineup – a murderous early-season schedule that would challenge even the most seasoned NFL veterans,' the Orange and Brown Talk Podcast crew, comprised of Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe, Scott Patsko, and Ashley Bastock, wrote.
Many are aware of Cleveland's deliberate slow-roll. ESPN's Harry Douglas tabs the Browns' seventh game of the season against the Miami Dolphins at home as the likeliest NFL debut of the 'Grown QB.'
'Game 7, that's when the Cleveland Browns play the Miami Dolphins. And if Shedeur Sanders goes into training camp and he's lights out, and he's playing very well in preseason, there's gonna have to be conversations that it might be earlier than that. Because what you don't want to do, if you're Kevin Stefanski, is have a guy show that he is the guy, but you not play him. Then you're gonna have some controversy when it comes to your roster and older players who are trying to win right now,' Douglas said on ESPN's 'Get Up.'
Stefanski has been giving Sanders fewer plays to run than Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco, and has not deployed Shedeur against first-team defenders.
Many a quarterback has sputtered under a fraction of the spotlight in their first NFL homes. With the revenue and interest he generates, Sanders needs to be protected as an asset until it's clear he is ready to either sink or swim in this league.
Stefanski is way ahead of the curve on that.
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Minnesota Twins: F Moves: Traded SS Carlos Correa to Houston for salary relief and RP prospect Matt Mikulski Traded CP Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia for SP Mick Abel and C Eduardo Tait Traded SP Chris Paddack and SP Randy Dobnak to Detroit for C prospect Enrique Jimenez Traded UTIL Willi Castro to Chicago (NL) for RP prospect Ryan Gallagher and SP prospect Sam Armstrong Traded RP Griffin Jax to Tampa Bay for SP Taj Bradley Traded OF Harrison Bader to Philadelphia for OF prospect Hendry Mendez, SP prospect Geremy Villoria Traded RP Brock Stewart to Los Angeles for OF James Outman Traded RP Danny Coulombe to Texas for SP prospect Garrett Horn Traded RP Louis Varland and 1B Ty France to Toronto for OF Alan Roden and SP prospect Kendry Rojas The Twins are currently up for sale. Apparently, so was their roster. Any time you trade 10 players off the big-league roster during a season in which you planned to contend, you get a big, fat F, regardless of the prospects. Dealing away Correa, whom Minnesota had hailed as a franchise cornerstone, was as deflating as it was shocking. What even is this team now? There are dark days ahead up north; a years-long winter of woe awaits. Chicago White Sox: C Moves: Traded SP Adrian Houser to Tampa Bay for IF Curtis Mead, SP prospect Duncan Davitt and RP prospect Ben Peoples Traded OF Austin Slater to New York (AL) for SP prospect Gage Ziehl The Pope's team didn't have a lot to trade after last year's fire sale, but it was certainly interesting that GM Chris Getz held on to Luis Robert Jr. The mercurial outfielder has a $20 million team option for next year, an option that given his rough start to this season did not appear likely to be picked up. But the Sox didn't deal Robert, likely because they value him as a controllable player while other teams saw him as a rental. They'll hope he continues rebounding enough that they can justify picking up his option. That's a nice haul for Houser, whom the Sox scooped up off the scrap heap earlier this year. Houston Astros: A- Moves: Acquired SS Carlos Correa from Minnesota for salary relief and RP prospect Matt Mikulski Acquired 3B Ramon Urías from Baltimore for SP Twine Palmer Acquires OF Jesús Sánchez from Miami for SP Ryan Gusto, OF prospect Esmil Valencia, SS prospect Chase Jaworsky From a vibes perspective, no club had a sicker deadline. This was essentially team owner Jim Crane climbing a bartop, hoisting a handle of tequila into the air and screaming 'GUESS WHO'S BACK?!' to an adoring crowd. It was panache, theater, transactional bravado. Does reuniting with Correa make this Astros team better? Probably yes, considering that 3B Isaac Paredes is out for a while. Plus, Correa is still only 30 and coming off a sensational, albeit injury-plagued, 2024. There's juice left in this proverbial lemon, and you gotta think he'll be rejuvenated by the move back to the team that drafted him first overall way back in 2012. Seattle Mariners: A- Moves: Acquired 3B Eugenio Suárez from Arizona for 1B Tyler Locklear, RP Hunter Cranton, RP Juan Burgos Acquired 1B Josh Naylor from Arizona for RP Brandyn Garcia and SP Ashton Izzi Acquired RP Caleb Ferguson from Pittsburgh for SP prospect Jeter Martinez This might be the best offense Seattle has had since the team won 116 games in 2001. Adding Suárez and Naylor gives them an imposing top six that also includes JP Crawford, Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto caught some much-deserved flack a few years back for insinuating that he's content to build a team that wins 54% of its games. This deadline was a refreshing departure from that ideology; the Mariners are going for it. Texas Rangers: C Moves: Acquired RP Danny Coulombe from Minnesota for TBD Acquired SP Merrill Kelly from Arizona for SP prospect Mitch Bratt, SP prospect Kohl Drake and SP prospect David Hagaman. Acquired RP Phil Maton from St. Louis for SP prospect Mason Molina and RP prospect Skylar Hales To be fair, the Rangers were in an odd spot entering the deadline. This team has one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and a bunch of famous, well-paid hitters who aren't hitting. Because Texas is kind of stuck with that position-player group, it opted to improve on the margins by adding arms. Kelly gives the Rangers nice depth as a rental. Coulombe and Maton should help the 'pen. But what this team really needs — for its veteran sluggers to wake up — can't be acquired via trade. Los Angeles Angels: C- Moves: Acquired RP Andrew Chafin and RP Luis García from Washington for SP/RP Jake Eder and 1B Sam Brown Acquired IF Oswald Peraza from New York (AL) in exchange for OF prospect Wilberson De Pena The Angels operate in their own universe, and honestly, it seems like a great universe, full of joy and rainbows and hopeful obliviousness. Is this team bad? No. Are they going to win the World Series? Definitely not. Will they make the playoffs? Probably not. That four-game gap between the Angels and a postseason spot looks a lot larger when you remember these are the Angels. Adding Peraza, the once-upon-a-time top prospect, is a nice buy-low move, but adding two middle relievers to 'go for it' is fittingly odd for this organization. Athletics: A Moves: Traded RP Mason Miller and SP JP Sears to San Diego for prospects SS Leo De Vries, SP Braden Nett, SP Henry Baez and RP Eduarniel Núñez Traded DH Miguel Andujar to Cincinnati for SP prospect Kenya Huggins Trading away a reliever, even one as dominant and as controllable as Miller, for a potential franchise-altering piece such as De Vries is a no-brainer. That's especially true for a team such as the A's, who aren't in a competitive window right now. In other words: Bullpen arms are almost as volatile as prospects. Talent evaluators I spoke with say De Vries has a real shot to be a superstar, somewhere on the scale between Francisco Lindor and Ketel Marte, depending on how his body develops. The rest of this group has some interesting arms, too. Good for the A's, who are putting together a really exciting position-player group ahead of their supposed move to Vegas in 2028. NATIONAL LEAGUE New York Mets: A- Moves: Acquired RP Ryan Helsley from St. Louis for SS prospect Jesus Baez, SP prospect Nate Dohm and RP prospect Frank Elissalt Acquired RP Tyler Rogers from San Francisco for RP José Butto, OF prospect Drew Gilbert, SP Blade Tidwell Acquired RP Gregory Soto from Baltimore for SP prospect Wellington Aracena and RP prospect Cameron Foster Acquired CF Cedric Mullins from Baltimore for prospects RP Raimon Gómez, RP Anthony Nunez and RP Chandler Marsh The Mets added four meaningful rentals without giving up any of their elite prospects; that's exactly what a great deadline looks like. This club has been ravaged by pitching injuries, particularly to the bullpen, so kudos to president of baseball operations David Stearns for rebuilding his relief corps on the fly. Slotting Helsley, Rogers and Soto alongside Edwin Díaz, Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Brooks Raley gives New York one of the more interesting bullpens in the NL. Getting Mullins was also a big upgrade in center field, where Tyrone Taylor has struggled on offense this year. Philadelphia Phillies: B Moves: Acquired RP Jhoan Duran from Minnesota for SP Mick Abel and C prospect Eduardo Tait Acquired OF Harrison Bader from Minnesota for prospects OF Hendry Mendez, SP Geremy Villoria President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and his front office deserve credit for adding Duran, one of the more dominant relievers in the game, to a bullpen in need of reinforcements. They also deserve criticism for not properly addressing the bullpen in the offseason, when both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez departed in free agency. That said, the suspension of José Alvarado was impossible to predict. The Duran move helps the Phillies now and for the next few seasons, as he's under control through 2027. Bader is a fine addition, though a more impactful bat would've been nice, considering the Phils are 26th in MLB with a .677 outfield OPS. 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I'm somewhat surprised the Nats couldn't find a suitor for Josh Bell, who has experience and an .842 OPS against righties since June 1. Milwaukee Brewers: D+ Moves: Acquired RP Shelby Miller and SP Jordan Montgomery for PTBNL/cash Traded SP Nestor Cortes and SS prospect Jorge Quintana to San Diego for OF Brandon Lockridge Acquired C Danny Jansen from Tampa Bay for IF prospect Jadher Areinamo I feel odd critiquing an organization made up of people who are smarter than I am and have a track record of sustainable roster-building, which I very much do not have. But I look at this Brewers team and those 96.6% playoff odds, and I wish they'd been more aggressive. Milwaukee could've used one more versatile offensive piece like Willi Castro or one more difference-making bat like Ryan O'Hearn or one more lockdown reliever like Ryan Helsley. The postseason is a roulette wheel, but the Brewers should at least try to help their own odds every once in a while. 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St. Louis Cardinals: B- Moves: Traded Ryan Helsley to New York for prospects SS Jesus Baez, SP Nate Dohm and RP Frank Elissalt Traded RP Steven Matz to Boston for 1B/3B prospect Blaze Jordan Traded SP Erick Fedde to Atlanta for cash considerations or PTBNL Traded RP Phil Maton to Texas for SP prospect Mason Molina and RP prospect Skylar Hales St. Louis got off to a hot start but tumbled down the standings as the weather warmed. This was a basic deadline for the Cards, who sold off some of their rentals and did nothing else. They didn't send away any controllable pieces, such as Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson or Lars Nootbaar. This was neither a disasterclass nor a masterclass. Pittsburgh Pirates: F+ Moves: Traded 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes to Cincinnati for RP Taylor Rogers and SS prospect Sammy Stafura Traded RP David Bednar to New York (AL) for C prospect Rafael Flores, C prospect Edgleen Perez and OF prospect Brian Sanchez Traded SP Bailey Falter to Kansas City for RP Evan Sisk and 1B prospect Callan Moss Traded RP Taylor Rogers to Chicago (NL) for OF prospect Ivan Brethowr Traded RP Caleb Ferguson to Seattle for SP prospect Jeter Martinez For a team so far out of it, the Pirates didn't do nearly enough to improve their future. They also made it through the deadline without trading their three soon-to-be free agents who could've brought back some real value. Tommy Pham, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andrew Heaney are all still Pirates, for some reason, as is Mitch Keller, who drew significant trade interest amid a career year. Sure, GM Ben Cherington made a few moves, but he seems to have left on the table the deals that could've actually helped his team begin to get out of the basement of the National League. Los Angeles Dodgers: C Moves: Acquired OF Alex Call from Washington for SP prospect Eriq Swan and SP prospect Sean Paul Liñan Acquired RP Brock Stewart from Minnesota for OF James Outman Three-team trade with Tampa Bay and Cincinnati: Sent C Hunter Feduccia to Tampa Bay, acquired RP Paul Gervase and C Ben Rortvedt from Tampa Bay, acquired SP prospect Adam Serwinowski from Cincinnati Acquired SP Dustin May from Los Angeles for OF prospect James Tibbs III and OF prospect Zach Ehrhard An atypically serene day for the defending champs, who in recent years have been very aggressive at the deadline. There wasn't even that much buzz around the Dodgers, save for a pursuit of Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan. In the end, Los Angeles added two helpful, unspectacular pieces in Call and Stewart. The Dodgers just need to get some arms back, but it's a bit odd they didn't think it necessary to solve part of that issue via trade. San Diego Padres: B Moves: Acquired RP Mason Miller and SP JP Sears from the Athletics for prospects SS Leo DeVries, SP Braden Nett, SP Henry Baez and RP Eduarniel Núñez Acquired 1B Ryan O'Hearn and OF Ramon Laureano from Baltimore for prospects SP Boston Bateman, SS Brandon Butterworth, IF Cobb Hightower, RF/1B Victor Figueroa, RP Tyson Neighbors, and RP Tanner Smith Acquired C Freddy Fermin from Kansas City for SP Ryan Bergert and RP Stephen Kolek Acquired SP Nestor Cortes and SS prospect Jorge Quintana from Milwaukee for OF Brandon Lockridge Many teams, nowadays, use computer models to help inform and, in some cases, dictate decision-making. Padres GM AJ Preller cares not one bit for your model or anyone else's. Once again, the free-wheelin' exec swung a headline deal for an All-Star and gave up a bounty in prospect capital to do it. I think giving up De Vries for a reliever is a mistake, though it appears San Diego might be planning to move Miller back to the rotation next year. But nor now, the flame-throwing closer gives the Padres a dynamite bullpen capable of knocking off the Dodgers in October, which is the whole point of this, anyway. And don't sleep on the O'Hearn/Laureano deal. Those guys are both having splendid offensive seasons, and the top-heavy Padres lineup was in desperate need of reinforcements. San Francisco Giants: C- Moves: Traded RP Tyler Rogers to New York (NL) for RP José Butto, OF prospect Drew Gilbert, SP Blade Tidwell Traded RP Camilo Doval to New York (AL) for C/3B prospect Jesus Rodriguez, SP prospect Trystan Vrieling, 1B/3B prospect Parks Harber, and SP prospect Carlos De La Rosa. Traded OF Mike Yastrzemski to Kansas City for SP prospect Yunior Marte These trades, in and of themselves, are perfectly cromulent. But it's certainly not the approach people thought Giants POBO Buster Posey would be taking at deadline time when he swung a blockbuster for Rafael Devers last month. San Francisco has plummeted down the standings since then, so kudos to Posey, I guess, for being realistic. Arizona Diamondbacks: B+ Moves: Traded 3B Eugenio Suárez to Seattle for 1B Tyler Locklear, RP Hunter Cranton, RP Juan Burgos Traded SP Merrill Kelly to Texas for SP prospect Mitch Bratt, SP prospect Kohl Drake and SP prospect David Hagaman. Traded RP Shelby Miller and SP Jordan Montgomery to Milwaukee for PTBNL/cash/salary relief Traded 1B Josh Naylor to Seattle for RP Brandyn Garcia and SP Ashton Izzi Traded OF Randal Grichuk to Kansas City for RP prospect Andrew Hoffmann Once it was clear this season was a goner, Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen pivoted into full seller mode with a clear intention. All the pieces headed out of the desert were rentals, a sign that the Snakes fully plan on competing again as soon as next season. The only notable player to stay put was starter Zac Gallen; whether that's because Arizona couldn't find a match or because they plan on hanging on to Gallen and extending him the qualifying offer is unclear. In all, this was a well-run deadline by the D-backs. Colorado Rockies: B Moves: Traded RP Jake Bird to New York (AL) for IF prospect Roc Riggio and SP prospect Ben Shields Traded 3B Ryan McMahon to New York (AL) for SP prospect Griffin Herring and SP prospect Josh Grosz Traded RP Tyler Kinley to Atlanta for RP Austin Smith The Rockies did some trades! Baseball's most isolated organization usually doesn't engage much in the deadline, preferring to hang on to players, no matter how ugly the loss column. But things clearly changed this season, perhaps because the Rockies are on pace to be one of the worst teams of all time. I don't particularly care which players they got or gave up; I'm just happy the Rockies are outside with the rest of us, participating in the real world.
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3 observations from Day 7 of New York Jets training camp
New York Jets 2025 NFL training camp is underway and will be watched under a microscope each and every day. Throughout practices, updates are shared during the workouts which make for intriguing and important notes. In terms of Day 7 of training camp, what stood out the most? Here are three observations from the seventh day of Jets training camp: Folk's strong return Nick Folk re-signed in New York once again this week. He's going to battle for the Jets' starting kicking job and Folk reportedly had a great start: Jets rookie stands out on defense Fifth-round rookie Tyler Baron had a couple of positive play during team drills which caught attention. Against running back Kene Nwangwu, Baron recorded a tackle for loss. At another point, Baron took quarterback Tyrod Taylor down for a would-be sack. Starters hurt The worst news of the day came from the injury front. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and offensive lineman John Simpson both left practice and did not return. Updates revealed those two have calf and back injuries, respectively. This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets training camp: 3 observations from Day 7 of workouts
