BEREA, OH — The road for Shedeur Sanders to become the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns is long – a lot longer than the 40 yards his right arm covered with his first rep of modified team drills during Cleveland’s first minicamp practice on June 10.
Sanders dropped that pass in a bucket to wide receiver Gage Larvadain, a fellow rookie, on a go route down the right sideline that received a cheer from the gathered Browns employees and fans watching from the roof of the team’s practice facility. It was the highlight of the day for Sanders and the entire Browns quarterback group – all four of them.
Veteran Joe Flacco did not take many reps, and Kenny Pickett – acquired over the offseason from the Philadelphia Eagles – took the bulk of reps with the first-team offense. Dillon Gabriel, the Browns’ third-round draft pick, was next in line and had all of the reps with the starters against the first-team defense during the 11-on-11 portion of practice.
“I view things as, ‘I got time.’ I got time to grow and mature and be able to understand the ins and outs of the defenses and get the insight from the vets in the room,” Sanders said after practice. “I look at it as a plus…Whenever it’s time for me to play, it’s time for me to play. But I’m not really looking too far into the future.”
In April, Sanders’ selection in the fifth round baffled the NFL draft ecosystem while serving as an indictment of Sanders’ play and how he and his father Deion Sanders, his college coach at Jackson State and Colorado and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, handled the pre-draft process. Since then, the confident bravado that lasted his entire college career has waned into a more traditional avatar of an NFL rookie not trying to draw much attention – positive or negative.
To that end, Sanders said he could view the lack of reps negatively, or he can be proactive to stay warm so there’s no excuses when his number is called. Because nobody cares about practice when it’s game time, he said.
“When you get out there,” Sanders said, “you got to be able to produce.
“Everything off the field, it is what it is, but everybody knows when it’s time to get on that grass, you know who I am.”
For Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, being intentional with the practice reps helps him evaluate the other three quarterbacks outside of Flacco, who’s entering his 18th season in the league and played the 2023 season with the Browns following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder surgery that year.
“All of them look pretty calm, efficient, going through their calls, making the plays they need to make,” defensive end Myles Garrett said.
Sanders watched Pickett and Gabriel run their plays while holding his helmet in his right hand. Sometimes, he’d debrief with Flacco or quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave. Six reps at a time, though, Sanders tried to make the most of his turn at the front of the line. The waiting until that point is being treated as a life experience.
“Anything in life, you got to go through different things so you can understand the message God is trying to give you,” the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year said.
That message was received loud and clear the night before minicamp began. Much like the night before his heavily-publicized pro day at Colorado two months ago, Sanders said he felt a higher power trying to reach him in his hotel room. Earlier in the day, Sanders said he’d spoken with pastors about his purpose.
“It’s a lot going on, I’d say in my mind, and I understand what peace is,” said Sanders, who will go back to Texas and reset between the three days of practice this week and training camp.
Tuesday’s practice ended with red-zone, 7-on-7 work. Sanders displayed his quick-processing abilities by finding an open receiver over the middle at the goal line.
“I already have a different type of confidence about myself,” Sanders said. “But when you go out there and you know the ins and outs of everything, then it’s a whole different type of confidence. I’m definitely getting to that point.
By the time training camp arrives in July, Sanders said, he plans on being there. Whether Stefanski and the Browns coaching staff agree or not will determine the direction of Sanders’ rookie season.
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