Tim Hasselbeck questions if Shedeur Sanders is even an NFL backup

Tim Hasselbeck made it abundantly clear what he thought of Shedeur Sanders after his first season in the NFL. 

The former quarterback said during an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” this week that he believes the Browns won’t be building around Sanders and questioned whether he even would be a second-stringer.

“No, and they won’t. I mean that’s just the reality of it,” Hasselbeck said. “I’m sure he’ll be on the roster because he’s on a rookie contract, or at least he’ll be on the training camp roster. He’s on a rookie contract from a year ago, much like Dillon Gabriel. I would think the Browns would add somebody with starter experience to compete because there’s just no way with just probably what the evaluation has been of Shedeur as a player in the pros now, as well as how he came into the league, that they would give him the opportunity.

“I mean, quite frankly, I don’t think he would even enter training camp as the second guy on the roster. So I don’t think that’s how they’ll operate. It’s hard to become a head coach in the NFL and if you do, you’ve got to try to win with a quarterback. And most guys, including [coach] Todd Monken, aren’t going to try to do it with somebody like Shedeur.”

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws a pass during AFC Pro Bowl practice at Moscone Center South on Feb. 2, 2026 in San Francisco. Getty Images

Hasselbeck didn’t stop there, going on to indicate that he doesn’t believe Sanders has a starting job in his NFL future. 

“I think there are things that he does at the position extremely well that you need to be able to do well to play in the National Football League,” Hasselbeck said. “I actually think that’s the good side of it. The bad side of it for him, I just think physically there are limitations that he has as a player that I don’t know that anyone is building around that.”

The career journeyman did say that he could see Sanders playing as a backup for a long period of time in the NFL and getting some starting chances. 

Tim Hasselbeck throws a pass during the Redskins’ road loss to the Bears on Dec. 21, 2003 at Soldier Field. Getty Images

“There isn’t a single team of the 32 that would look at him right now and be like, ‘Yup, I want to build around that guy,’” Hasslebeck said. “I’m not saying that to be demeaning or mean, it’s just the reality of who he actually is as a player and how he is viewed … around the league.” 

Sanders is coming off a rookie season in which he played in eight games and started seven, throwing for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Monken told reporters Tuesday during his introductory press conference that he was looking forward to working with Sanders, but that his QB 1 situation was “still to be determined.”

“Am I excited about Shedeur? Am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely. I can’t wait for them to get back and for us to get started,” he said.