Shedeur Sanders Proves Critics Right with Viral Miming Video

Shedeur Sanders was a victim of his own character flaws – chief among them being a severe lack of maturity – during this past NFL draft. Unfortunately, he keeps proving those critics right.

The Cleveland Browns benched veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in favor of rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel for this weekend’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. The move leaves Shedeur in his role as the third-string quarterback.

When questioned about the change and his unchanged position on the depth chart, Sanders opted for a playful, silent mime response, complete with a smile and chuckle.

Totally normal stuff here.

Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders only pantomimed answers to questions about the QB change and his role as QB3. pic.twitter.com/YmXjvj6YYc

— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) October 1, 2025

Shedeur Sanders was responding to Rex Ryan

For whatever reason, reporters felt the need to explain that Shedeur’s reaction wasn’t in response to news that Gabriel had been named the starter. Those were what the questions from reporters were about, but the childish response wasn’t to that news.

Nay, Sanders was taking a swipe at former NFL coach Rex Ryan of the uber-mediocre Ryan coaching family.

His reaction was to the Rex Ryan criticism not Dillon Gabriel becoming the starter https://t.co/lljcAH8kNk

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) October 1, 2025

Oh, well. In that case, it was still dumb. By any stretch. If you have to explain the joke, it’s not a very good joke.

Ryan heavily criticized Sanders, accusing him of talking too much and not putting in the work to become a starter. Ironically, he called Shedeur’s behavior an “embarrassment.”

Sanders told ESPN Cleveland that he believed he could perform better than the league’s current starters. Ryan countered that he should probably STHU.

“This kid talks, and he runs his mouth. Like he said, ‘I can be a starting quarterback’ with his arms crossed like this. Get your a– in the front row and study and do all that. If I know, the whole league knows,” Ryan said during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up.

“Quit being an embarrassment that way. You’ve got the talent to be the quarterback, you should be. You should be embarrassed that you’re not the quarterback now.”

READ MORE: Shedeur Sanders’ Mom Slams Ex-NFL Coach for ‘Embarrassment’ Comment

Maturity issues

Well, at least he’s not running his mouth. I guess. But Sheduer Sanders is only adding fuel to the fire of his critics, who saw his dramatic draft slide as validation that NFL execs were concerned about his maturity level.

Interesting pic.twitter.com/o1M21a4Lkd

— J (@sQorched) October 1, 2025

Browns General Manager Andrew Berry took a swipe at Sanders over recent speeding tickets, which were another example of sustained immaturity on the quarterback’s part.

“Not smart. Just not smart,” Berry told reporters regarding the speeding infractions. “It’s something that we’ve addressed with him. Look, he understands the implications, he understands the consequences.”

“It’s not just about yourself. It’s not just about having a joyride, but that you could injure other people,” he added.

It’s troubling that, with all eyes on his maturity level after losing millions with the dramatic draft slide, Sanders still can’t get his act together. He’s already the most highly scrutinized NFL draft pick in recent history. Why? In part because of his behavior before the draft, which likely facilitated his downfall.

Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter ripped Sanders for being “so concerned about what his outfit was, his necklace was over a hundred grand” instead of trying to impress teams with his ability.

Joyrides. Necklaces. Now, he’s responding to moderate criticism by acting like a clown.