Quarterback Shedeur Sanders Has Been Named to the Pro Bowl as a Replacement

There were no rookie quarterbacks in the NFL this year who caused more controversy than Shedeur Sanders. He slipped to the fifth round of this year's draft before being selected by the Cleveland Browns, and was not named the team's starter until the middle of the season.

After he became the team's starter, he went 3-4 and threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Given that fairly mediocre record as a rookie, many wondered why he had been named to this year's Pro Bowl as a replacement. Here's what we know.

Given that he had a fairly mediocre rookie year and only played in half of his team's games, many naturally wondered how he wound up making the Pro Bowl. The original AFC quarterbacks who were selected to play in the Pro Bowl were Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Drake Maye. Maye is now set to play in this year's Super Bowl, which is why a replacement had to be named to take his spot.

The NFL doesn't reveal the process behind how alternates are selected, but Shedeur was not one of the four quarterbacks who finished in the top 10 in fan voting. Trevor Lawrence was initially named as an alternate for the spot, but Shedeur wound up getting it over him. Shedeur also earned the spot over Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Aaron Rodgers, who many people think are all better quarterbacks than he was this year.

While we can't say for sure why Shedeur received the spot, it seems possible that the explanation is some combination of injuries and a lack of willingness to go to the Pro Bowl on relatively short notice.

It's worth noting, though, that Shedeur will now be remembered for earning a spot at the Pro Bowl during his rookie year, even if many believe there are a half-dozen other quarterbacks who probably deserved the spot more.

Although he didn't get drafted until the fifth round, there was some initial speculation that Shedeur might be one of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft class. That ultimately wasn't the case, although he did eventually earn the starting job as the season progressed. Shedeur's father, Deion Sanders, is an all-time great, and a huge part of the reason that he garnered so much attention is because of the shadow his father casts.

Even though he has now been selected for the Pro Bowl, Shedeur still has a lot to prove before he'll be a regular starter in the NFL. Rookie seasons are often difficult for quarterbacks, but many emerge in their second year to prove that they are ready to play in the NFL. Of course, Sam Darnold has been in the NFL for eight years, and while he was initially viewed as a bust, he's now leading the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. So Shedeur still has time to prove that he can be great.