Former NFL receiver says Shedeur Sanders already low on Browns' QB depth chart
Sanders, 23, is falling behind in the Browns' offseason four-way QB battle, according to TJ Houshmandzadeh, with veteran Joe Flacco also reportedly heading toward the bottom of the pack.
Houshmandzadeh —who was an NFL wide receiver for 11 seasons including eight with the Bengals —said he believes the race has narrowed down to Dillon Gabriel or Kenny Pickett, despite their being earlier reports saying that Sanders and Flacco were performing well in minicamp.
3 Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) listens to a play call during mini camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
'I was told from somebody that is in the building that ain't a player, it's really coming down to Kenny Pickett or Dillon Gabriel,' Houshmandzadeh said on the Nightcap podcast Friday. 'That's what I was told. But now when you get the reports that Shedeur's completing seven out of nine passes — is it against starters?
'Or is it against the threes and the fours, the guys that are going to get released? So it seems impressive when you see the graphic, but is it really if it's not against the starters or guys that are going to be on the team?'
3 T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson during the Giants game against the Bengals.
Joseph E. Amaturo
Houshmandzadeh agreed with Browns wideout Diontae Johnson recently stating that Pickett would start come Week 1.
Johnson, 28, is the only Browns player to come out and comment of the quarterback battle.
Houshmandadeh's claim comes just days after Sanders was nabbed with a speeding ticket in suburban Cleveland for allegedly driving over 100 mph, according to records viewed by The Post.
Sanders was stopped by the Strongsville Police Department on June 17 as the rookie was allegedly driving at 101 mph, which was 41 mph over the speed limit of the road.
3 Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (right) talks to Shedeur Sanders during Browns minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Colorado alum was driving a 2025 Dodge pickup when police stopped him at 12:24 a.m. with one officer saying on bodycam that Sanders had been 'cool' with him.
'I'm like, you were 100 percent going that fast, it's all on camera, man,' an officer could be heard telling another as he sat in the police cruiser.
Sanders' brother, Shilo, poked fun at the incident, joking about his older brother during one of his YouTube videos.
'We out here in Tampa. We gotta be careful crossing the street, especially if Shedeur is out here,' Shilo said in the clip before making himself laugh.
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