Shedeur Sanders' first year with the Cleveland Browns was anything but smooth. However, one number from his 2025 season has come up again this offseason that cuts through all the noise.

The fact that it is gaining traction comes from NFL analyst@PJStarlissimo's X account.

"Shedeur Sanders averaged the NFL's fifth highest explosive plays per game in 2025," the X post caption read. "And before anyone talks about check downs, he averaged more air yards per completion than Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Matthew Stafford. So there's that little nugget."

Sanders had 3.86 explosive plays per game, which was more than Jalen Hurts (3.76), Jordan Love (3.60), Josh Allen (3.36), and Baker Mayfield (3.29). He was only behind Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Stafford, Burrow, and Goff.

The analyst first sent out a chart comparing Sanders' explosiveness to that of active NFL quarterbacks using data from 2024, the year Sanders spent entirely at Colorado and never played an NFL snap.

He admitted the mistake and put in verified NFL numbers for 2025 instead. That correction makes the argument stronger.

The 2025 numbers aren't based on a comparison between college and NFL players; they show how Sanders did against other NFL players. 

Still, there were some glaring issues as well. Sanders had a completion rate of 56.6%, 10 interceptions, and the worst passer rating (18.9 QBR) in the league among quarterbacks with more than 200 attempts.

The explosive plays metric and the air yards numbers show that playing it safe wasn't one of his weaknesses as a rookie.

That distinction is worth keeping until 2026 for a fifth-round pick on a 5–12 Browns team.

Shedeur Sanders Traffic Stop Resurfaces During Browns Offseason

A video from earlier in his rookie year that had nothing to do with football recently went viral on social media, bringing the Browns quarterback back into the public eye.

Sanders responded briefly online, posting "Slow day in the office," offering no further comment.

The clip brought back memories of a number of traffic accidents that happened during his first year.

Sanders was pulled over by the Ohio State Highway Patrol for speeding on November 17th and 18th. Later, Sanders talked about the events directly.

"I made some wrong choices, and I've got to own up to them. You know, I've made some not great choices," he said. "I learned."

Sanders is still in the Browns' quarterback room as the 2026 season approaches. Coaches and analysts will certainly evaluate both his on-field and off-field behavior as he tries to win a starting job.

Read more at Quarter Back Central!

Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote