Quarterback Shedeur Sanders entered the preseason with the Cleveland Browns knowing he faced an uphill battle to earn a chance to start at any point during his rookie campaign, let alone in Week 1.
The 23-year-old quarterback still has a long way to climb following rookie minicamp, multiple OTA workouts and mandatory minicamp — the last of which wrapped this week.
Camp ended with relatively bad news for Sanders, as he remained lower on the depth chart than multiple of his competitors/teammates and took fewer reps than they did over the course of the week.
“That’s a wrap: Browns conclude spring season with Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett getting the most QB reps. via TLOD,” Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand and 850 ESPN Cleveland posted to X on Thursday, June 11.
Shedeur Sanders Has Shown Growth, Focus During First NFL Preseason
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Despite the fact that Sanders hasn’t leapfrogged either Pickett or Gabriel on the depth chart, his words in his most recent interview are reflective of both personal growth and maturity.
“I would say spiritually, that’s where I would say I’ve grown the most,” Sanders said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Wednesday, June 11. “After the draft, getting closer to God and definitely talking to him consistently, having a real relationship with him. That’s where I say I grown the most at.”
Sanders also spoke about keeping his focus during Cleveland’s preseason, despite his father Deion Sanders currently dealing with health issues in Texas.
“I’m here not to talk about Pops, I’m here to be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns,” Sanders said of the situation. “I’m focused on learning this playbook and everything I’ve got to do to be the most successful quarterback and best teammate I could be. Outside of that, I don’t really have no thoughts or really opinions on anything outside this game.”
Shedeur Sanders Faces Wide Range of Possibilities in Rookie Year
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders entered the draft process earlier this year as a potential first-round pick. Instead, he ended up dropping all the way to the early portion of the fifth round.
His prowess and success in college coupled with his unprecedented draft slide, which had less to do with his physical abilities than his approach to interviews with NFL teams, make him an interesting case heading into his first professional season.
Some analysts have predicted the Browns might cut Sanders ahead of Week 1, keeping the other four quarterbacks they currently have rostered (Pickett, Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Deshaun Watson). Others have projected that Sanders, who has a reputation as a tough player and accurate thrower of the football with above-average processing skills, will ultimately win the starting job — if not by Week 1, then at some point in the season.
There is also some potential that Sanders could end up on the trade block. Cleveland is likely to deal at least one quarterback before the end of August. It is more likely that player will be Flacco or Pickett based on their ages and contract situations, though Sanders could make sense in the right scenario.
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