Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Getty
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders is no stranger to cryptic social media posts and his latest message is already turning heads.
Sanders is coming off a roller coaster rookie season with the Cleveland Browns. The former Colorado star tumbled to the fifth round in the NFL Draft before being picked up by the Browns with pick No. 144.
After starting the year buried on the depth chart, Sanders eventually earned his shot. He started the final seven games of the season, going 3-4 in those games while passing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The stat line isn’t overwhelming, but it doesn’t tell the full story. Sanders also showed some significant upside as an off-schedule playmaker — something that new head coach Todd Monken values.
“I think what you see is elite playmaking ability. That’s in him,” Monken said. “You’ve seen it. We’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go. But what rookie isn’t, I mean, what first year player doesn’t have a long way to go? So, I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”
Shedeur Sanders Leading QB1 Candidate for Browns
Sanders finished last season as the starter but the Browns have said it will be an open competition for the QB1 job next season. Cleveland has yet to add any new passers and Deshaun Watson appears to be the only other real competition Sanders will face. Watson is heading into the final year of his contract and missed all of last season recovering from two Achilles surgeries.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic provided some positive news for Sanders in his latest report on the quarterback situation in Cleveland.
“At this still-early point, it seems safe to say that Sanders has at least some runway toward being the starter,” Jackson said. “Let’s save the wild takes and proclamations for what’s likely going to be an annual reboot of an open quarterback competition. But let’s also pencil Sanders in as the most likely of the current group to take the race wire-to-wire.”
As the news made the rounds and sparked debate, Sanders published a three-word message.
“Thank you GOD,” Sanders wrote on X.
It’s a message Sanders frequently posts. However, the timing is interesting on a Tuesday afternoon in the offseason.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Finds Support After Message
Sanders found some support from his many followers after posting the message.
“Keep working. Take advantage of every single workout you can do. Every second you can do film. Completely reinvent your whole physical being,” one fan said. “It’s right there for you.”
“All in due time….I BELIEVE in you!” another added.
“Keep your head up. You’re a Pro Bowl QB,” a third said.
Things are starting to fall into place for Sanders — and if he wins the job, he’ll be stepping into a far more stable situation than he had a year ago. The Browns have reshaped their offensive line, trading for Tytus Howard and adding Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins to solidify the unit in front of him.
Cleveland still hasn’t added a proven weapon on offense, but that could change quickly. The Browns hold two first-round picks and are widely expected to target a pass-catcher with one of those selections.