Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made an encouraging declaration amid mandatory minicamp. The franchise is in a quarterback competition with Deshaun Watson recuperating from an Achilles tear. Sanders is competing not only with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel for this opening but also for a spot on this roster, as not many teams carry more than three quarterbacks.
Shedeur shockingly dropped to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after most analysts projected him as a first-round pick. While there were reports about the All-American quarterback having attitude issues, he's said all the right things since joining the Browns. In a recent interview with ESPN's Cleveland Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi, Sanders was asked about taking the majority of his reps with the backups. The 23-year-old had the ideal response.
“Life is just based on how you view different things So you can view things as you're not getting reps in a negative way or you can view it as, OK, when it's my time to get out there, let's be proactive and let's get warm, let's get going. So, there's no excuses because when you get out there, nobody cares how many reps you got whenever you get in the game. Nobody cares if you took a snap before. Everybody cares about production. So that's the main thing when you get out there: You got to be able to produce.”
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Right now, it looks like Pickett or Flacco will be the Week 1 starter. It's a long season, and the Browns will likely try several players under center, especially if the season goes awry. And the schedule is difficult, with several Super Bowl contenders looming, particularly early in the season. The Browns' first six games are against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Whoever is QB1 at the beginning of the year will have their hands full.
Overall, the Browns would love it if they could find their long-term solution at quarterback in 2025. That answer is likely not Deshaun Watson, based on what he has shown during his time with the franchise. Therefore, while Sanders dropping all the way to the fifth round is not ideal for his bank account, he has a significant opportunity on his hands. Shedeur has the talent to be a starter in this league; he just has to keep plugging away and wait for his eventual turn.