Aikman Adds Theory To Shedeur Controversy
At one time projected as the top overall pick, the son of Dallas Cowboys' icon Deon Sanders ultimately slid down the board, out of the first round and into history at No. 144 in the fifth round. It was the surprise story of the draft, one that left fans, media and former players pondering and polarized.
Advertisement
In passing up the Scouting Combine and telling some teams he didn't want to play for them, did Shedeur - and Team Sanders - alienate his potential employers? According to multiple reports, teams found him "entitled" and "arrogant" and the New York Giants allegedly took him off their draft board after Shedeur bombed a pre-draft interview by arriving unprepared and then bristling when called on it.
Was Shedeur simply overrated, without an elite arm or NFL-quality athleticism?
Did his vibe turn off teams that struggled to <> his modest 13-12 college record with an ego that already refers to himself as "Legendary"?
Was there collusion - even racism - by NFL owners, as accused by some fans?
Advertisement
Or, as echoed in numerous viral rants by ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, are league talent evaluators simply "clueless" when it comes to quarterbacks?
Troy Aikman was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cowboys in 1989 and during his five decades in the NFL as a player and TV analyst has seen hundreds of quarterbacked selected. He believes we don't know the real truth behind Shedeur's slide.
"I feel there's probably a lot more to it than what we've heard," Aikman said this week during a radio interview on The Ticket in Dallas. "It sounds to me that people questioned whether or not he could, in fact, be a franchise quarterback."
In a league that drafted Johnny Manziel's ego and routinely gives second chances to sexual abusers, Aikman thinks Shedeur - and Deion - made a couple of pre-draft missteps.
Advertisement
"If a team believes that you can be a franchise quarterback, they're going to take you," he said. "I mean, they're simply going to take you. From what I've heard, it sounds like if Team Sanders had a chance to do it over again, they'd probably approach it a lot differently."
Related: Deion Rumor on Infamous $14.5 Million Mansion Update
Related: Cowboys Trade Truth Revealed Amid Jonathan Mingo Hype
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
3 minutes ago
- New York Times
Patriots 53-man roster projection: Veteran S Kyle Dugger on the outside looking in?
Only a handful of practices and one preseason game remain before coach Mike Vrabel has to trim his inaugural New England Patriots roster down to 53 players. Even after a summer full of practices and two exhibition games, a few tough decisions remain, including whether to keep seven wide receivers, which backup offensive linemen will stick around and how to handle returning veterans like Kyle Dugger and Jahlani Tavai. Advertisement Here's our latest projection for the team's initial 53-man roster. In: Drake Maye, Joshua Dobbs Out: Ben Wooldridge No surprises here. Maye has done a nice job in camp of avoiding turnovers, but his accuracy was a bit of an issue during his limited appearance in Saturday's preseason game. So far, he has handled the frequent pressure he has been under fairly well. However, the fear is that constant pressure will start to take a toll on him mentally, and he'll start forcing the ball when he otherwise wouldn't. Maye probably won't play in the preseason finale, so the next time we see him in a game should be the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. In: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Antonio Gibson, JaMycal Hasty Out: Terrell Jennings, Shane Watts Stevenson is banged up, and Jennings has been limited due to an injury, so Hasty has gotten lots of run with the backups in recent sessions. He had 11 carries for 47 yards (as well as a catch for 5 yards) Saturday, and could play his way onto the roster with a nice performance Thursday night. The real story here, though, is Henderson. He looks like the total package at running back, and while Stevenson has been limited for stretches in camp, Henderson continues to thrive. To the endzone, @TreVeyonH4! 📺: WBZ — New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 16, 2025 In: Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III Out: Javon Baker, Ja'Lynn Polk, Kendrick Bourne, John Jiles, Jeremiah Webb For the first time all summer, it finally looks like there's clarity here. That's in large part because of the way Chism has shown up and made it abundantly clear he deserves a spot on the roster. Both Vrabel and Maye praised his work after Saturday's game, in which Chism caught all six of his targets for 71 yards and a touchdown. Advertisement At this point, the only remaining question may be whether Baker can do enough to convince the team to keep seven wide receivers. But with injuries at running back and depth questions at tight end, that seems less than ideal. In: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Jack Westover, Cole Fotheringham Out: Gee Scott, Jaheim Bell, C.J. Dippre In the offseason, this seemed like a competition between Bell, Scott and Dippre for the final roster spot. Suddenly, however, Westover appears to be on the right side of the roster bubble after adding fullback duties, while Fotheringham has dabbled at that position and is probably the best blocker of the bunch. So with the Patriots expected to use big formations, it wouldn't be a shock to see them keep four at this position. In: Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, Garrett Bradbury, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses, Marcus Bryant, Cole Strange, Demontrey Jacobs, Ben Brown Out: Sidy Sow, Caedan Wallace, Layden Robinson, Alec Lindstrom, Tyrese Robinson, Mekhi Butler, Jack Conley, Vederian Lowe The Patriots still don't know who their starting left guard will be after they demoted Wilson for Brown this week. Strangely, Wilson and Brown have all gotten reps with the starters there. The drawback to keeping an extra tight end is that it likely means cutting another offensive lineman, which is why Sow and Wallace miss out in this projection. In: Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Keion White, Khyiris Tonga, Joshua Farmer, Harold Landry, K'Lavon Chaisson, Bradyn Swinson, Anfernee Jennings, Truman Jones Out: Elijah Ponder, Jahvaree Ritzie, David Olajiga, Isaiah Iton, Jereme Robinson, Kyle Peko Everything seemed to be pointing to Jennings being the latest Patriots veteran jettisoned by a new coaching staff. Vrabel even admitted that he brought in younger players at the position, in part thinking the team might replace Jennings. Advertisement But Vrabel praised the way Jennings fought back from that and remained competitive. Jennings was good enough in the preseason game Saturday (2 1/2 sacks) that he earns a roster spot here. In: Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai Out: Marte Mapu, Monty Rice, Cam Riley, R.J. Moten This is a position where the Patriots could make tweaks via the waiver wire once roster-cutdown day arrives. That's because Tavai already seemed to be on the roster bubble and has missed recent practices with an undisclosed injury. For now, though, he's penciled onto the roster. In: Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, DJ James, Isaiah Bolden Out: Tre Avery, Kobee Minor, Miles Battle, Jordan Polk, Brandon Crossley For most of camp, we've projected five cornerbacks would make the team. But with the way Kyle Dugger has fallen on the depth chart, perhaps the new Patriots brass is leaning toward an extra corner instead of a safety. That could open a spot for someone like Bolden, who also contributes on special teams. In: Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Craig Woodson, Marcus Epps, Brenden Schooler Out: Kyle Dugger, Dell Pettus With an average annual value of $14.5 million, Dugger is the seventh-highest-paid player on the Patriots, yet he might not make the team. Dugger has fallen so far on the depth chart that he played the whole fourth quarter Saturday with mostly third-string defenders. The Pats wouldn't get much cap savings by cutting Dugger, but if Saturday's playing time was any indication, they might do it anyway. In: John Parker Romo, Bryce Baringer, Julian Ashby Out: Andres Borregales The kicking competition is going down to the wire, with either still capable of making it. For the first time, we'll give the slightest of advantages to Parker Romo over Borregales, the sixth-round pick, after the latter badly hooked a long field goal try Saturday. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
How to watch Bengals vs. Commanders in the ‘Monday Night Football' preseason debut
It's still preseason, but if you want to get into the 'Monday Night Football' mood early, here's your chance. The years-long tradition of tuning in to ESPN on Monday night for NFL action continues in this Week 2 preseason matchup as the Cincinnati Bengals go on the road to face the Washington Commanders. Live coverage is also available on ESPN+. Last week, the Bengals took on the defending champion Eagles. Joe Burrow completed 9 of 10 passes for two touchdowns, while Ja'Marr Chase caught four balls for 77 yards and a score. If that was an indicator for how long the starters will play, expect to see a decent amount of the star QB-WR duo on Monday (for a preseason game, anyway). Advertisement The Commanders are a slightly different case, as key starters sat out last week. Jayden Daniels, the 2024 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, did not play in the loss to the Patriots. However, the second-year quarterback is expected to be in for 'a few series' against Cincinnati, head coach Dan Quinn told The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala over the weekend. Many veterans will remain sidelined, and Washington will also be without No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who was recently activated off the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury and in the midst of a 'hold-in.' Another receiver, Deebo Samuel, could make his anticipated Commanders debut, though. Jhabvala reported that Daniels' training camp highlights included connections with Samuel and tight end Zach Ertz. Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Joe Burrow: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bears Witnessing Shocking Development At Left Tackle Spot
The Bears knew they had to improve the offensive line this offseason after Caleb Williams got sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024. As a result, the team made several moves, including letting Teven Jenkins leave in free agency while adding Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson to start at the interior spots. At right tackle, former first-round pick Darnell Wright remains entrenched, but the left tackle spot is up for grabs. Braxton Jones started at that spot in 2024 and delivered mixed results. Jones earned a solid Pro Football Focus grade, but was penalized seven times and allowed five sacks. As a result, the team is holding an open competition at the spot, and several guys are in the mix. 2025 second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo has seen some first-team snaps, and many were expected 2024 third-rounder Kiran Amegadjie to factor in as well, but that hasn't really happened due to Amegadjie having some injury issues this summer. Instead, a surprising player has recently been getting some starter snaps at left tackle- Theo Benedet. The Canadian offensive lineman has been a star of camp, and rotated with the starters on Wednesday with Jones. Trapilo, meanwhile, was at right tackle with the second-string offense. Offensive line coach Dan Roushar offered a glowing review of Benedet's work. 'There's a lot of things to really like about Theo. He's had probably as much improvement as any player we have in the group,' said Roushar. 'With that, there's a lot of things for him to improve on and he knows that and we've gotta work on it. He is working his tail off. He has put himself in a position to go compete for a job somewhere in this group.' Jones should still be viewed as the favorite to start due to how raw Benedet is. However, Benedet is now the favorite to land the backup left tackle spot, while Trapilo should be the backup right tackle. As a result, Amegadjie could find himself on the chopping block soon unless he quickly gets healthy and regains favor. Related Headlines Cleveland Browns Sign Controversial Highly-Touted Young Player Mike Vrabel gets involved in another fight at Patriots training camp Under Mike Vrabel, Patriots rebuild 'off to a really good start'
