Henry McKenna
NFL Reporter
Is anyone else excited for the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition?
No one in Cleveland has any idea which guy will start. Joe Flacco is probably the front-runner, but I wouldn’t put money on it. The Browns traded for former first-rounder Kenny Pickett. Deshaun Watson is still in Cleveland, though it’s anyone’s guess for how long. He’s unlikely to see the field in 2025 after his most recent Achilles injury. And, of course, the Browns drafted a quarterback. You know: Dillon Gabriel, the Oregon prospect.
Oh, I’m forgetting someone?
Yeah, that’s Shedeur Sanders, the most famous prospect since Johnny Manziel — made only more famous by Sanders’ draft-day fall, when he slipped to Cleveland in Round 5.
Sanders and Gabriel were in the building with Cleveland over the weekend to participate in rookie minicamp. Gabriel was asked what it’s like to compete against Sanders.
“I love it because of who it is,” Gabriel said.
But … who is Shedeur Sanders?
We know he’s famous. We’ve heard NFL teams praise him (even if they repeatedly passed him up). We’ve heard analysts and anonymous sources dissect his persona and personality.
But he was infamously reluctant to show NFL teams who he was during the combine interview process. That was part of the problem — maybe the biggest one — for Sanders during the pre-draft process. He was a bad interview. He didn’t present himself well enough to convince a team that he should be its QB1. And he didn’t meet with enough teams to convince one that he should be a backup — except, apparently, for Cleveland.
It’s time for Sanders to show the world what he’s all about.
And there’s one more thing Sanders might need to show the world: That he can change. Because there were a number of important lessons for him to learn through the draft. Lessons in humility. If he takes them to heart, he may very well win the QB1 job in Cleveland.
And some of that came to light over the weekend.
During a press conference at rookie minicamp on Sunday, Sanders was asked about Tom Brady sending an encouraging text during the draft.
“[Brady said] that my story’s going to be similar,” Sanders said. “I was a late-round draft pick, but we’re here now, so none of that stuff matters. That just mattered on the day, and I’m just excited to be here, ready to work.”
Brady came into the NFL as a nobody. Sanders may have fallen in the draft, but his father, Deion Sanders, will forever ensure that Shedeur is somebody. The thing that the draft did was turn Sanders into something of an underdog. Had he gone in the first round of the draft, for example, he might already be wearing No. 2, his number at Colorado. Instead, he’ll wear No. 12. (Fittingly, that was Brady’s number.)
Sanders was asked if he’ll try to buy No. 2 from receiver DeAndre Carter, who currently has it.
“I’m not trying to buy anything. My signing bonus ain’t that high right now,” Sanders said.
If there’s any comment that tells us about Sanders’ mindset, it’s this one.
If he had a problem during the pre-draft process with coming off as arrogant, brash and presumptuous, he didn’t approach his jersey situation with the same attitude. He could have asked for or even demanded to get his number. He could have blown money to secure his number. But for now, he took a new number and went to work.
Why Shedeur Sanders has a legit shot to be Browns’ QB1
And yes, there were major financial ramifications for falling out of the first round. Titans QB Cam Ward, this year’s No. 1 overall pick, signed a four-year deal worth $48.7 million. Giants QB Jaxson Dart, a first-rounder, will sign a four-year deal worth $16.9 million.
Sanders’ rookie contract is worth $4.6 million, including a $446,553 signing bonus.
It doesn’t sound like Sanders is going to blow any money on Cavaliers playoffs tickets yet either. He didn’t even watch the game over the weekend.
“I was focused on the playbook,” Sanders said.
In the media, the conversation that followed the team’s rookie minicamp was predictable: Who was better over the two days? Opinions differed. And ultimately, it doesn’t matter all that much yet. These quarterbacks are light years from where they’ll be by Week 1, when the team has to make its decision on the starter. But Gabriel was asked what he thinks about the narratives that’ll come with the game of comparisons.
“I think the more questions I get asked like that, it just divides the team,” he said. “For me, we’re in a roomful of not just us – Kenny, Joe and Deshaun. For us, we know how important a healthy QB room is.”
The Browns’ social media accounts didn’t seem to realize that Sanders was drafted after Gabriel. Since the beginning of rookie minicamp, it has been Sanders — not Gabriel — who has been all over the accounts. It’s not an indicator that one is above the other on the depth chart. It’s about which one is above the other in the algorithms. Sanders draws eyeballs.
There have long been critics of Sanders. It’s just that now he’s a long shot to win the starting job. You could even argue he’s a long shot to make the Browns’ 53-man roster.
“It’s just me versus me,” Sanders said. “I can’t control any other decision besides that. So I just try to be my best self at all times. … My job here isn’t to prove people wrong. I’m proving myself right.”
If he can do that, then he’ll win the starting job this year. Even though he’s starting at the bottom of the depth chart. It’s going to be fun to watch.
As Heath Ledger’s Joker once said: And. Here. We. Go.
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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