Cleveland’s quarterback room added an unexpected line to its résumé this week.
According to CBS Sports, Shedeur Sanders has reportedly been selected as a Pro Bowl replacement, giving the Browns’ rookie a late-season honor after a winding first year in the league.
The AFC quarterback pool needed a fill-in once Drake Maye became unavailable due to his team’s Super Bowl run with the New England Patriots. With Maye headed to the sport’s biggest stage, the league turned to alternates for the annual all-star event.
Josh Allen and Justin Herbert remain the AFC’s primary selections.
For Sanders, the nod caps a rookie campaign that began quietly and finished with real responsibility. Drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns, he opened the season as an emergency option before climbing the depth chart. After Cleveland moved on from Joe Flacco, Sanders rose to No. 2 and eventually took over as a starter when fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel was sidelined.
Sanders started seven games, posting a 3–4 record. Across eight appearances, he completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
His first NFL start came in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, a 24–10 win in which he threw for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception. That victory made him the first Browns quarterback to win his debut start since 1995.
Sanders faced pressure on more than half of his drop backs while seeing relatively few blitzes, a combination that tested his pocket management throughout the season.
Regardless, Sanders now becomes the first fifth-round rookie to reach the Pro Bowl since Puka Nacua earned the honor with the Rams.
Sanders’ path to the NFL has never been conventional. Despite winning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year at Colorado and carrying the expectations that come with being the son of Deion Sanders, he slid to Day 3 of the draft.
Questions, however, remain about Cleveland’s long-term quarterback picture with Deshaun Watson expected back in 2026 and a coaching search still underway.
