Argonauts add QB Sanders to negotiating list after draft plummet
Published
The Toronto Argonauts added Shedeur Sanders to their negotiation list on Monday after the former Colorado quarterback fell to the fifth round in the NFL Draft over the weekend, per TSN's Dave Naylor.
With Sanders placed on the negotiation list, the Argonauts have the first chance to sign Sanders, should he decide to play football in the CFL.
Sanders was widely expected to be selected in the first round of the draft after a successful NCAA career at Jackson State and with the Colorado Buffaloes - he finished eighth in Heisman Award voting in his final season at Colorado. He played under his father, head coach Deion Sanders at both stops.
Deion is widely regarded amongst the top tier of talent ever to play in the NFL, earning a spot in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
However, his involvement in Shedeur's draft preparation, as well as character concerns and an apparent lack of high-end talent caused Shedeur to drop to the fifth round, where he was selected by the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland had selected another QB earlier in the draft, taking Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
"Once it got to a point where it felt like it was a pretty steep discount, we just felt like, especially relative to the alternative ways that we could use this selection, this made the most sense," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said of taking two quarterbacks in the draft.
As far as this season goes for Sanders, there's a chance he takes the starting job with Deshaun Watson expected to miss the entire season after having surgery on a ruptured Achilles in January, but he will have to beat out three other QBs (Veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco, as well as Gabriel) on the roster to do so.
"Obviously you may not divide [the practice reps] '25, 25, 25,' but we feel really confident that we'll have a plan that is fair to each player and fair to the team as well," head coach Kevin Stefanski said.
Sanders has made no indication he is interested in playing in the CFL, but the Argonauts' decision opens the door. The Browns are no strangers to having their drafted QBs make the trip up north - their first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Johnny Manziel, joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after two unsuccessful seasons in the NFL.