With NFL training camps well underway, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is getting some reps with the Cleveland Browns in practice. Though Sanders has not been working much with the Browns’ first-team offense, the rookie says that he’s not thinking about it too hard.
Sanders is one of four quarterbacks competing for Cleveland’s starting job, alongside veteran Joe Flacco, fourth-year player Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. Although all four offer different strengths, Flacco and Pickett have been primarily working with the first team in training camp, while the two rookies work with backups.
When asked why he didn’t think he was getting first-team reps, Sanders said that he wasn’t thinking about that.
“That’s not my place to answer,” Sanders told reporters on Friday, via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “I feel like it’s not in my control, so I’m not even gonna think about that or have that even in my thought process.”
He also emphasized his gratitude to be training with Cleveland at all — a direct contrast to the bluster that seemed to trigger his stunning slide in the NFL draft.
“There’s a lot of people that wanna have the opportunity to be at this level, and I’m here, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity, so, whatever that is it is,” Sanders added.
As a result of the abundance of quarterbacks, Sanders has also been spotted practicing with members of the Browns’ equipment team. But Sanders said that the targets didn’t “faze” him, citing his college career between Jackson State and Colorado.
“It doesn’t really faze me. You gotta understand, we came all the way from an HBCU to a Power 5 (conference team), and now we here, so,” Sanders said, via Oyefusi. “At this point you look around, there’s nothing that’s a challenge, I would say.”
Meanwhile, Sanders has other things to deal with as well: The rookie was cited twice for speeding after allegedly driving over 100 miles per hour on a Cleveland highway. But on Friday, Sanders seemed in good spirits on the issue.
“I really don’t even drive that much anymore,” Sanders said with a laugh, via NFL reporter Andrew Siciliano. “I hope everybody learn from my situation, you know, to not drive fast at all.”
Also, via Siciliano, Sanders misses living near his brother, Shilo — at least partially because he misses Shilo’s juicer.
Who’s in the lead for the Browns’ starting QB job?
The Browns’ quarterback room is one of the oddest in the NFL, and the lack of a clear depth chart is affecting the dynamic. Flacco, despite being the most veteran player in the room, has chafed at the idea of being a mentor to the younger QBs; Gabriel and Sanders, as the two rookies, are trying to find a way to break through.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters this week that all four of the quarterbacks have played well, and that they want to make a decision on who will start “sooner than later.”
In the meantime, tracking the four players’ reps has been an easy way to try and gauge who might end up where on Cleveland’s quarterback list. Drills this week have featured a rotation — Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, Sanders — that points to the potential order.
Additionally, in 7-on-7 practices on Wednesday (the Browns’ first day of camp), Sanders was the only player to miss more than one of his throws, going 3-for-8. That performance may have something to do with why he’s not getting as many first-team reps.
