Stephen A. Smith doesn't think that Shedeur Sanders will be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback in Week 1. Not because he won't deserve it, but because "unfortunately," the team will want to test him.

Smith explained the situation Sanders would be facing as a rookie in the Browns' QB room with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and third round pick Dillon Gabriel during Tuesday morning's episode of First Take.

"I think that you had people looking to give him a reality check," Smith said on First Take. "And now I think what you're going to do is see people wanting to test his emotional and mental resolve as it pertains to that. As of yesterday afternoon he was en route to Cleveland from what I was told in a pickup truck, ready to put grab his lunchpail, grab his hardhat and get to work. That's what I was told in terms of yesterday about how he's looking at things right now. Anxious to go out there and show out."

Smith went on to describe how the team might justify playing the other quarterbacks on the roster over their fifth round pick.

"But you're hearing people out of Cleveland talk about how Dillon Gabriel was their preferred quarterback. Big Ten player of the year. That kind of thing," Smith explained. "They were saying they looked at him, I don't know how, 'cause he wasn't Shedeur Sanders, but nevertheless they were looking at it. You look at Flacco, he's a fan favorite. They loved him in Cleveland. They never wanted him to leave after the job he did for them a couple of years ago when Deshaun Watson went down and he came in and did his thing, okay? And then you're looking at Kenny Pickett. Now I know that Kenny Pickett's a former Steeler, then he went to Philadelphia, he's got a Super Bowl championship as a backup. We get all of that part, but in his last 17 starts his record is like 13–4."

Despite all that, Smith thinks that the team will look at Sanders as a "longterm solution" and even if he doesn't start in Week 1, he'll get there eventually once he's passed all the team's tests.

"And so when you look at it from this standpoint, I think they look at Shedeur as a longterm solution. I'm not saying he's going to sit out the year or anything like that. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's the starter at some point this upcoming season but I don't think he's a guy that's going to be judged by just his play. I think they're going to want to see whether or not that ego that people were talking about is something that they're going to have to concern themselves with. And unfortunately, I think they're going to test him and that's why I think he's going to be prevented from starting Week 1. Not because he won't deserve it. I just think they're going to test him."

The pickup truck and lunchpail are a good start.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Explains Why Shedeur Sanders Won’t Be the Browns Starting QB Week 1.

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