Emmitt Smith, the Hall of Fame running back best known for his time with the Dallas Cowboys, stepped into a very heated conversation this week surrounding Shedeur Sanders, the young Cleveland Browns quarterback whose rookie NFL season has sparked a wide range of debate. Smith’s comments didn’t just focus on Sanders’s performance; he took aim at how the Browns organization has handled its quarterback situation, and in doing so, he touched on an issue that goes beyond football strategy into perceptions of fairness.
Shedeur Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, a surprising fall for a player who had once been projected by some analysts as a high draft pick. During his rookie season, he started 7 games, throwing for about 1,400 yards with 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, going 3-4 in those starts. Despite flashes of potential and being named a Pro Bowl alternate, the Browns did not clearly commit to him as their long-term quarterback.
According to ClutchPoints, on the Up & Adams Show during Super Bowl week, Smith offered a critique that was equal parts football analysis and pointed rebuke. He suggested that the Browns’ approach toward Sanders was inconsistent with how other teams have handled their own young quarterbacks, and he didn’t shy away from making comparisons.
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Smith Believes There Are Racial Undertones With Shedeur
“I guess coaches want to make sure that guys know that there is no security in their position and they want them to be as competitive as possible. No one wants to hand anything to them. This is how they’re treating Shedeur,” he said.
Smith then drew a contrast with the way other franchises have entrusted opportunities to their young quarterbacks, elaborating on that point by saying: “But they handed it [the starting job] to Drake Maye. They also handed it to the kid in Jacksonville [Trevor Lawrence]. What does Cleveland have? Absolutely nothing. So what’s the debate? Are you going to give it to Dillon [Gabriel] again?”
Here, Smith is referring to the broader quarterback landscape around the NFL, where several teams have backed highly drafted young signal-callers early in their careers. In his view, the Browns’ reluctance to fully commit to Sanders, despite his on-field results and his visible confidence, sends a message that the organization lacks direction at its most important position.
Smith’s own connection to Sanders goes back years. He played with Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, during their shared Cowboys tenure in the 1990s. That personal connection seems to inform Smith’s perspective, as he has known Shedeur since childhood and has publicly supported the quarterback’s NFL journey.
What’s especially notable about Smith’s remarks is how they touch on broader themes that resonate far beyond the Browns’ playbook. By contrasting how different franchises have handled their young quarterbacks, he implicitly questioned why Sanders hasn’t been given more consistent chances to succeed. His comments also fed into a larger narrative that has built up around Sanders, one fueled by discussions of bias, fairness, and how personalities are evaluated in the league.
That narrative isn’t confined to Smith’s comments. Other former NFL figures and analysts have weighed in with their own perspectives, some suggesting the league might be unfairly critical of Sanders because of his background, his outspoken nature, or the spotlight that comes with being Deion Sanders’s son. Critics have recently also spoken about his Pro Bowl selection.
The Browns themselves have yet to commit fully to Sanders as their franchise quarterback. New head coach Todd Monken made it clear in recent media sessions that the quarterback competition is “still to be determined,” a stance that seems to reflect both caution and uncertainty. Monken expressed excitement about coaching Sanders, but he stopped short of naming him the starter for the upcoming season.
Published: Feb 6, 2026 03:00 pm