CLEVELAND, Ohio — While Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski keeps insisting media shouldn’t focus on the quarterback pecking order during minicamp, the latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast revealed a significant development that’s impossible to ignore: rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is climbing the depth chart.
“Something interesting happened today. Shedeur Sanders worked with the second team. Not the first time he’s done that, but it was the first time that, when we’ve been out here at least, that he has gone with the second team ahead of Dillon Gabriel,” reported Dan Labbe, Orange and Brown Talk host. “So Dillon Gabriel, third team. And this was in a move the ball period that the Browns had towards the end of practice.”
What makes this notable is that Sanders wasn’t just rotating in – he was specifically placed with the second-team offense during a crucial period designed to simulate actual game situations. The coaches might be downplaying it publicly, but actions speak louder than words.
“I do think that it was significant because he’s earned some good quality reps and he’s done that through working his tail off like Tommy Rees has told us that he’s done, and also really progressing day by day,” said Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot. “We’ve seen the lights coming on for him. He’s throwing a nice ball, he’s making a lot of completions, he’s throwing a lot of touchdowns.”
The podcast crew made it clear that while this doesn’t mean Sanders is suddenly leap-frogging everyone into the starting job, it does represent an important step in his development – one that demonstrates the coaching staff’s growing confidence in him.
“Part of this is confidence building in these guys, too,” Cabot explained. “So this is meaningful and there is a method to their madness. They told us that they were going to mix things up and change things up, and they did that today.”
What makes Sanders’ development particularly interesting is that he’s excelling despite being given a lighter load than the other quarterbacks. The coaches are being strategic with how they’re bringing him along.
“It is important to remember that different things are being asked of these different players,” Cabot noted. “Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel have taken the brunt of the install... They haven’t put that on Shedeur’s plate. They’re not making him do some of the most difficult things in the scheme right now because that’s not his responsibility.”
The podcast hosts emphasized that practice performance must be taken with a grain of salt. These aren’t games, and coaches are often testing players in different ways that might not be apparent to observers.
“When you are once again installing a new offense and you have a quarterback competition for the first time ... how else are you going to try stuff?” Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock asked. “It is important to do that and to not be afraid of the possibility of failure in a practice, because this is what practice is for.”
Even with those caveats, it’s clear Sanders is building chemistry with his receivers, particularly Gage Larvadain, and is beginning to make his mark. As the Browns head into their final minicamp session before the summer break, all eyes will be on whether Sanders continues to get increased opportunities with the second unit – perhaps the clearest sign yet of his trajectory in this quarterback competition.
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