Shedeur Sanders is doing his part early in training camp for the Cleveland Browns, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s gaining ground on the starting role.
Multiple insiders reported Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is impressed with third-round pick Dillon Gabriel early on, adding that the Oregon rookie is picking up the offense very quickly despite a lot being thrown at him.
“Browns coaches did not ask Sanders to integrate the same volume of playbook during minicamp as his counterparts,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on “NFL Live.”
ESPN Cleveland aggregated the four quarterbacks’ combined OTA and minicamp stats, with Sanders having by far the highest completion percentage, coming in at 77.3 percent, well above Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.
Fowler adds that Sanders, who fell to the fifth round in the 2025 NFL Draft after previously expecting to be a first-round pick, did not receive any first-team reps throughout Browns camp; thus, the level of competition he faced was significantly lower than that of the other three.
Sanders was 41-for-53 with nine touchdowns (most) and one interception through OTAs and minicamp.
NFL media’s Judy Battista noted that Stefanski has consistently valued processing speed and decision-making.
Battista added that Gabriel has had more put on his plate because he has absorbed so much information thanks in part to the 24-year-old playing six years in college football for Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon.
NFL.com’s Tom Pellissero adds that the Browns will almost certainly not be carrying four quarterbacks through final roster cuts, so one of Sanders and Gabriel will likely be forced to start on the practice squad or they would need to cut Flacco or Pickett.
“It will almost be like a second draft for Shedeur,” Pellissero adds if Sanders is put on the practice squad and able to be scooped up by other teams.
The most important part of the summer for the two rookie quarterbacks will undoubtedly be the preseason, where Sanders and Gabriel will get the chance to impress against other teams.
If that does happen, Sanders could climb up the Browns’ depth chart or separate himself enough to get a chance on another team.
Sanders starred for Jackson State before transferring to Colorado Boulders, where he became a polarizing figure for the school.
He, alongside Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, led the Boulders to a 13-12 record under head coach Deion Sanders.
Sanders put up 4,134 yards in 2024 with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on a 74 percent completion rate in his second and final season in Boulder.