Shedeur Sanders is in hot water after recently being ticketed twice for speeding, including an instance where he was caught going over 100 miles per hour. The Cleveland Browns’ rookie has caught a lot of heat from media members, but two local radio hosts recently delivered a different verdict on Sanders’ situation.
Cleveland Radio Hosts Don’t Think Browns Need To Cut Shedeur Sanders After Speeding Tickets
Cleveland added Sanders to its unique quarterback competition after making him the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The team already had Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the roster, and drafted Dillon Gabriel 50 spots before taking Sanders.
They also still have Deshaun Watson, but his torn Achilles will likely keep him off the field in 2025.
Since arriving in Cleveland, Sanders has been working hard on building a good reputation for himself. After a strong minicamp performance, he gained traction in the team’s quarterback battle. However, his recent missteps on the highway have put a dent in the goodwill he’s built up.
Sanders recently apologized for his actions, though it didn’t seem overly sincere. He’s still caught flak from many media pundits but has gotten some support from a pair of local Cleveland radio hosts–at least in terms of not being released from the team.
Chris Oldach and Nick Paulus recently guest-hosted “The Really Big Show” on ESPN Cleveland. The pair discussed Sanders’ recent traffic infraction, and the station tweeted a clip of the conversation. Oldach began, “Was it dumb? Yes. Was it reckless? Yes.” After a long pause, he continued, “He doesn’t need to get cut over this.”
Paulus then took over, saying, “Anyone that says, ‘Cut the guy,’ because he has two speeding tickets. Shut the h**l up. He’s saying, ‘I’m learning. I gotta learn from this.’ I’m gonna hold you at your word, and still trust that you view this as a learning experience. If he doesn’t learn from these incidents, then there’s going to be major consequences.”
“He doesn’t need to get cut over this,” – @TheOGPAW on the Shedeur Sanders speeding tickets.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/CiaFpcnYEC
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 20, 2025
Sanders had firmly established himself in the Browns’ quarterback battle thanks to an impressive minicamp performance in which he completed 77.4% of his passes (the best of the four quarterbacks) and threw nine touchdowns to just one interception.
How Will Recent Traffic Violations Affect Sanders’ Standing in Browns Crowded QB Room?
Gabriel struggled during Cleveland’s offseason program, completing just 57.8% of his passes during the sessions that were open to the media. Sanders had the early advantage over Gabriel after minicamp, but will that change heading into summer?
Pickett and Flacco are expected to battle for the starting job after Cleveland’s historically bad offensive performance in 2024. It’s likely that one of the veterans is moved before the regular season begins, so either Sanders or Gabriel should be in line for the backup job.
A lot can change between now and the start of the regular season, but Sanders will have to work even harder to prove his doubters wrong after these recent mistakes.