Michael Irvin framed the conversation around one issue that changes everything for a young quarterback: protection. From the opening of his breakdown, Irvin made it clear that Shedeur Sanders wasn’t struggling because of a lack of ability, but because he didn’t have time to function.
“I watched #12 running for his life,” Irvin said. “Protection isn’t worth a damn.”
That observation shifts the entire evaluation. When a quarterback is constantly under pressure, decision-making gets rushed and mechanics fall apart.
Irvin highlighted the contradiction fans keep missing. “All the talk about how he can’t run like his daddy… How in the hell is he the leading rusher?” That’s not a compliment. It’s a warning sign. Michael Irvin widened the lens even more. “What do you have around him?”
He acknowledged Shedeur’s accountability but refused to place the blame solely on him. “Shedeur would say that that was not his best game,” Irvin said, adding, “There are a lot of reasons why that was not his best game. And all those reasons don’t fall on his shoulders.”
Irvin’s final point tied it together. “The coach has taken the system and put it around his talent.”
Michael Irvin’s message was simple. Shedeur Sanders isn’t failing. He’s fighting uphill without protection, balance, and the support a quarterback needs to succeed.
Shedeur Sanders’ Struggle with the Brown’s Weak OL Line
There’s a clear pattern emerging around Shedeur Sanders and his offensive line. Through five starts, Shedeur Sanders has been under pressure on over 50% of his dropbacks, one of the highest pressure rates in the league this season, and a glaring red flag for Cleveland’s protection unit.
That kind of heat matters. When defenses are collapsing the pocket before Shedeur Sanders can set his feet, it limits everything he can do. Besides, the Browns have rotated nine different starting offensive line combinations since Week 1, a revolving door that hasn’t allowed continuity up front.
Those numbers line up with what we saw on the field; constant pressure leads to rushed throws, sacks, and disrupted timing. In fact, league trackers show Shedeur Sanders was pressured nearly 51% of the time he dropped back, and that puts him at the top of the NFL in vulnerability.
Michael Irvin said Shedeur Sanders was “running for his life,” and the numbers back it up. Until the Browns fix the protection, no evaluation of Shedeur is honest because no quarterback wins consistently behind a collapsing pocket.