Earlier Monday afternoon, former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders officially signed his rookie contract worth $4.6 million.
Although there is no timetable for who could be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, Sanders' official signing could spell bad news for former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel's immediate future was put into question when former NFL General Manager Scot McCloughan provided his thoughts recently where his career may head starting this season.
"I see him as a No. 2 for life. At best," McCloughan said in an interview with 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. "I see him as a really good college quarterback. I see him as an average NFL quarterback."
That's major cause for concern for the former Big Ten champion. Browns insiders are beginning to become skeptical, too, about whether Gabriel is a possible starter instead of Sanders.
Some NFL pundits, including NFL Hall of Famer and former Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner, are beginning to change their tune about Sanders and if he'll succeed at the highest level.
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During a spot with Jim Rome on "The Jim Rome Show," Warner quickly defended Sanders' abilities.
“My evaluation [of Shedeur Sanders] was: the most accurate quarterback, I thought, in this draft," Warner said. "When he sets his feet, when he’s comfortable in the pocket, and he delivers the football, the ball goes where he wants it to go,” Warner said. “I really like Shedeur [Sanders]. He wasn’t a fifth-round prospect, in my opinion. I’m excited to see how this Cleveland quarterback room plays out.”
A now-viral video of Sanders has emerged in practice, essentially validating Warner's point.
Whether it's enough for Sanders to win the job is unclear, given the NFL preseason doesn't get underway until late July. But, what is rather obvious is the Browns believe in him enough to see what he has to offer.
Simply put, Gabriel has a lot of work to do if he wants to overtake Sanders. But given how rocky his college career was for the most part, anything is possible.