The Cleveland Browns head coaching search is not going well, but that didn’t stop Shedeur Sanders from getting a positive call after a complicated rookie season. This is the Pro Bowl week, and the first-year quarterback is taking part in it.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Shedeur Sanders has been added to the Pro Bowl roster as a replacement. The AFC’s Pro Bowl quarterbacks were Drake Maye, Josh Allen, and Justin Herbert. However, Maye is going to the Super Bowl against the Seahawks, and both Allen and Herbert are dealing with injuries, so their status is uncertain.

Then why jump all the way to Sanders? Well, Bo Nix is injured, so are Patrick Mahomes and Daniel Jones. Still, QBs like Trevor Lawrence, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow could’ve gotten consideration. After all, it’s not like Shedeur Sanders played all season or had great numbers.

The Pro Bowl has gone from skill to popularity

Shedeur Sanders’ numbers during his rookie year are not Pro Bowl worthy. Sanders started seven games, had a 3-4 record completing 56.6% of his passes for 1400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a QBR of 18.9 out of 100. There is no objective reason to put Sanders on the Pro Bowl with those numbers, other than his popularity is massive within the NFL community.

Sanders has been a subject of massive talk since his College Football days. Being the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, he entered the NFL and became even more polarizing. After this move, Sanders will once again get showered in praise and criticism all the same.

Sanders broke some streaks by becoming a Pro Bowler

Sanders is the first Browns QB to make the Pro Bowl since Derek Anderson in 2008. He also became the first 5th-round rookie to make a Pro Bowl since Puka Nacua, though that happened in 2023. Anyhow, Sanders is now a guy who will forever be called a Pro Bowler.

The Browns continue to get rejected on their HC search, but now they can market themselves as having a Pro Bowl QB. That might not prove as effective, but they must change strategies as something is really wrong with the team. Some coaches would rather stay as coordinators than to take the Browns HC job, and that is exactly why this franchise remains as one of the worst in the NFL.