After Calling Joe Flacco a 'Security Blanket,' Asante Samuel Says Shedeur Sanders is Hard to Overlook as QB1

The former New England Patriot and two-time Super Bowl champion, Asante Samuel, is continuing to make the most of his newfound platform on social media as he now seems determined to rally his following in support of the Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders. Despite recent reports suggesting that the former Colorado Buffalo has been removed from the QB1 conversation in Cleveland, Samuel, like many others, isn’t prepared to look past Sanders as a prospect just yet. 

When it comes to the Browns potentially cutting at least one of their four active quarterbacks, the four-time Pro Bowler isn’t willing to bite on that narrative either. “No one seems to think that the Browns will keep four quarterbacks on their roster, I beg to differ,” Samuel exclaimed during the most recent episode of his Say What Needs to be Said YouTube series. 

“All four quarterbacks will make that team. Now, there’s always exceptions to the rule and the exception to this rule is; Unless Kenny Pickett garners enough attention for the Browns to trade. If and when that happens, it will be left up to Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel to prove that they are worthy of the starting job.”

According to Samuel, Joe Flacco is nothing more than a “security blanket,” while “Dillon Gabriel has an uphill battle ahead of him… with his height and arm strength.” Nevertheless, he’s more than confident in his assertion that the Browns will be keeping both of them, along with the others. 

In light of Cleveland’s general manager, Andrew Berry, mentioning that the team would be more than willing to roster all four of them so long as they are “53-man worthy,” Samuel felt more than comfortable enough to assert “that will happen.”

As far as the second-generation athlete in Sanders is concerned, the one-off All-Pro is upholding the narrative that the 23-year-old “isn’t your typical fifth-round quarterback.” Still believing in Sanders’ collegiate track record, Samuel noted that, 

“When it comes time for the Browns to decide who’s QB1 and who’s QB2, Shedeur Sanders’ name will be hard to overlook and will require some strong, uncomfortable conversations between the coaching staff. And those questions will be, ‘Do they really want to win?'”

Unfortunately, for both Samuel and Sanders, it doesn’t seem as if anyone in the Browns’ front office is tuning into Say What Needs to be Said. Sanders is currently seeing the least amount of training camp reps of any QB on the roster, and even though Pickett has now sustained a hamstring injury, it seems unlikely that Cleveland will elevate his status by much, if at all.