The San Francisco 49ers already have two Pro Bowl quarterbacks on their roster, but maybe they have room for one more.
The Cleveland Browns‘ Shedeur Sanders is about to enter his second year and is involved in a quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson for the starting job. Sanders ended the season as the starter after entering it as the third-string quarterback, leading the Browns to their most of wins of any starter while going 3-4 last season.
However, Sanders’ name is a popular one that’s being floated a lot in trade rumors. As Pro Football Network’s Cooper Kleinberg writes in his list of five players that could be moved by training camp, the reigning Pro Bowl quarterback is one of the names mentioned.
Of the three landing spots mentioned, the 49ers are one of those teams. Kleinberg refers to the quarterback room — which also features Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green — as a “logjam.”
“The Browns have a complete logjam in the quarterback room, meaning one of Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, Taylen Green, or Shedeur Sanders is likely to leave the team ahead of the regular season,” said Kleinberg. “ESPN Cleveland radio host Tony Rizzo recently revealed that the Browns are fielding calls for the second-year quarterback, noting, ‘There are talks and ongoing calls about the availability of Shedeur Sanders.’ Ultimately, this report makes it all the more likely that Sanders is the odd man out.”
Why Shedeur Sanders Has Potential Moving Forward
While the numbers weren’t eye-popping on the stat sheet — seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions — Sanders showed off his skill set while helping provide some stability to the Browns. Prior to his insertion in the starting lineup, they had lost three consecutive games and won just two games.
It’s also worth noting the Browns arguably had the worst supporting cast in the league, ranking 31st in points scored and 27th in rushing. Their leading wide receiver was Jerry Jeudy, who had just 50 catches for 602 yards and two touchdowns.
“Although the box score suggests Sanders struggled in limited action last season, as evidenced by his 7 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, the former college star still showed off his mobility and arm talent on several occasions,” writes Kleinberg. “Expect teams with uncertainty at the QB2 position to reach out about the Browns’ talented young signal-caller.”
49ers Would Likely Trade Mac Jones to Take on Another Quarterback
The 49ers obviously already have their quarterback situation figured out with Brock Purdy entrenched as the starter and Mac Jones as the backup. Jones is actually a former Pro Bowl quarterback himself as an ex-starter for the New England Patriots. Furthermore, Jones is coming off of a season in which he himself stabilized the 49ers when Purdy was out for multiple game. The 27-year-old Jones went 5-3 as a starter while throwing 13 touchdowns against six interceptions for a 97.4 passer rating.
With Jones a likely hot commodity on the market — he’s entering his contract year — the 49ers could benefit from flipping him for Sanders and maybe a draft pick or two. Meanwhile, Sanders would be safely entrenched as Purdy’s backup and would only see action if the former MVP candidate suffers an injury. However, if the 49ers keep Jones on the roster and Purdy struggles, observers will likely call for San Francisco to insert Jones into the lineup.
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