The Cleveland Browns have a full house in their quarterback room, but not a single player has secured the QB1 spot during Deshaun Watson‘s absence due to injury.
While veterans such as Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are entrenched in a high-stakes battle for the starting role, another name has emerged as a fan favorite in rookie Shedeur Sanders.
Despite being limited to 7-on-7 drills during the Browns‘ Organized Team Activities (OTAs), Sanders has made the most of his early reps. Completing 7-of-9 passes with three touchdowns, the former Colorado Buffalo has quickly caught the attention of fans, scouts, and media figures alike.
One of those vocal supporters is Cleveland Browns color analyst Nathan Zegura, who didn’t hold back after watching Sanders in action.
“Shedeur looked good. His ball placement is elite. His ability to layer throws is elite. I think he’s got plenty of arm strength. We’ve seen that on display certainly at camp at times. There’s something about Shedeur, I got a chance to interview him, he’s very confident, but not in a cocky way. He has a lot of belief in himself. I like him. I like the kid a lot,” Zegura said.
Flacco and Pickett control the top-tier battle
While Sanders is earning early acclaim, he’s still operating in a separate tier of competition. According to Browns reporter Zac Jackson, the primary quarterback battle is clearly between Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, with Sanders and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel battling for developmental positioning.
“Joe Flacco clearly has the strongest arm, throws the best ball. Everybody wants to see Shedeur. He’s been impressive. You talk with people in the building, and they say he’s been impressive. He’s only been in the building like 16 days at this point, right? So, what this competition is, Zach, right now, for at least two more months, and probably beyond that, it’s two different competitions,” Jackson explained to Zach Gelb.
“It’s Flacco versus Pickett for the starting job, and then it’s the two rookies positioning themselves against one another, but really just in the scheme of things, I like what I see from Shedeur. I mean that, but I don’t know that either. One of these rookies will ever play, let alone this year. Don’t know they’ll be ready, we just know at the early stage.”
Read the full article here
