Despite growing pains, Shedeur Sanders and Cleveland still have a path to long-term turnaround.

The scoreboard in Chicago said 31-3, and the reaction around the league has been predictably loud. Shedeur Sanders struggled, the Browns’ offense stalled, and national voices like Hall of Famer Michael Irvin took aim at Cleveland’s roster, especially the offensive line and receiver room.

But buried inside that criticism is a blueprint for optimism.

Irvin pointed to Caleb Williams as the example. A No. 1 pick who took his lumps as a rookie behind a leaky line, then took off once the Bears invested in protection, structure, and a scheme tailored to his strengths.

That’s not an insult to Sanders so much as a reminder that even elite talents need help … and that Year 1 turbulence doesn’t define a quarterback’s career.

Sanders’ numbers so far, 946 passing yards, five touchdowns, six interceptions, a 52.2 percent completion rate and a 1-3 record, are clearly not where anyone in Cleveland wants them. But he’s also operating behind an offensive line that’s still a work in progress and throwing to a group that even Irvin suggested could use a talent upgrade.

In other words, he’s being asked to grow while the infrastructure is still being built.

We’ve seen this story before. Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times in his first season. Troy Aikman went winless as a rookie starter on a 1-15 Cowboys team before that franchise turned into a dynasty, one that eventually included Deion Sanders in the secondary.

Turnarounds can happen quickly when a front office commits to building correctly around its quarterback.

Cleveland is 3-11 and likely picking near the top of the draft. That’s not just a sign of what’s gone wrong, it’s an opportunity. Whether it’s reinforcing the offensive line, adding true difference-makers at receiver, or re-evaluating the coaching structure, the Browns have the resources to surround Sanders with what he’s never had in a stable, tailored ecosystem.

The criticism is loud right now. But if Cleveland learns from Chicago, Dallas, and its own history, this could be the rough beginning to a much better story … not the end of the Shedeur Sanders experiment.