Shedeur Sanders is having a harsh taste of reality at the NFL life, as the superstar quarterback is fighting for a spot with the Cleveland Browns.
The former Colorado Buffaloes standout has some tough competition: former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco, former first round pick in the 2022 draft Kenny Pickett, and rookie Dillon Gabriel.
“The guys are doing everything we’re asking of them both in the meeting room, the weight room, out here on the practice field. As coaches, we love Phase Three. It’s finally when we get to go against each other, offense, defense, and get to really simulate practice in a lot of ways,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said about the competition.
Shedeur Sanders gets cornered by coach
Shedeur Sanders got cornered with a hard truth that the Cleveland Browns‘ rookie probably wasn’t ready to hear and that could ruin his first year in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said the rotation of the quarterbacks continues to stay fluid during Organized Team Activities (OTAs), as the team works to evaluate and get reps for all four QBs.
“These days we have probably the most reps to go around, so we’re able to balance them out,” Rees said. “But all those guys have done a nice job coming to work and understanding that each day is going to be a little bit different rotationally. And it’s an evaluation process for us still, so we’re just working through those as the days come.”
That means that, even though Shedeur Sanders signed a four-year, $4.6 million contract with a $447,380 signing bonus, he has not earned a spot on the final 53-man roster for the Cleveland Browns. Even more, his display of talent on the field has not guaranteed him that he will have playing minutes during the 2025 regular season.
All four quarterbacks have a chance to be the starter
All four quarterbacks in the Cleveland Browns roster – Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders – each took reps throwing to different receivers and running backs – who, after catching the pass, turned and tucked the ball to run through pads as to work on ball protection.
In another portion of drills, the quarterbacks mirrored reps as they threw to different pass catchers. Flacco and Pickett threw simultaneously while Gabriel and Sanders took the next set of reps. In different drills throughout the session, Joe and Kenny took a majority of the first reps, but they rotated through who took the first set of reps.
“We’re mixing it up every single day,” head coach Stefanski said. “We’re just trying to get guys exposure to different concepts, those type of things. So, it varies by walkthrough. It can vary by drill. It’s not something that we’re really – we’re not leaning into or worried about the order at this moment.”
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