Despite being a fifth-round pick in April’s NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders is still drawing talk from NFL fans as he enters his first mandatory minicamp Tuesday through Thursday and attempts to climb up the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback depth chart.
As the fervor around Sanders continues to escalate, despite nothing really changing since the end of the draft, now is a good time to take stock of what Sanders needs to do to actually get the job. As the fourth quarterback that the Browns added this offseason, Sanders really does face a battle toward having a relevant rookie season, but there is a path for him to help himself with a strong offseason.
Part of the reason why there is so much excitement for Sanders is that the Browns’ quarterback room doesn’t appear to have an entrenched starter. Joe Flacco will presumably resume his role as the team’s starter, which he had for the latter part of 2023 season, when he helped lead the Browns to a playoff berth. Flacco’s experience within the offense, and experience in general, are going to be assets that the Browns lean on as they enter training camp. However, third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett are viewed as beatable for the primary backup job.
What’s interesting about his quarterback race is that Gabriel and Sanders find themselves needing to do the same thing to solidify their standing in the Browns quarterback room. Gabriel was the 94th overall selection in this year’s draft, 50 picks prior to Cleveland’s trade up for Sanders. Their goals are similar: get to a high enough understanding with the playbook where the coaching staff feels comfortable having them active once the regular season starts and the games start counting.
Where they differ is the practicality of the investment and what that means for their immediate futures with the Browns. Gabriel’s investment as a top-100 draft pick means he will likely be getting the first chance at practice reps over Sanders — practice reps they both need. At least for Sanders’ sake, Flacco is the only one that has experience with this coaching staff, so Sanders and Gabriel will be starting off on a level playing field as far as their knowledge and experience of the offense.
It’s not the sexiest answer, but the best way Sanders can help himself in minicamp and in all pre-regular season activities is by preparing to be the best backup that he can be. Based on how last season went for the Browns, starting a rookie is probably not how head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry wanted to enter pivotal seasons for their employed futures as members of the Cleveland Browns’ organization. It sounds bleak, but whoever can provide the best support to Flacco will likely be in the driver’ seat for backup quarterback reps.
While there has been an onslaught of minicamp and OTAs coverage for Sanders, the truth of his situation still needs to be grappled with. He’s a fifth-round rookie, the second quarterback the Browns drafted and the fourth quarterback that the Browns added this offseason. The Browns also have two first-round picks for next year’s draft, and they will likely use one to select a quarterback if this year goes poorly. If Sanders is going to make the most of his opportunities and secure a long-term role with his team, it needs to start now and with better preparation than he reportedly had during the pre-draft process.
The shelf life on Day 3 quarterbacks, especially for teams that are aggressively trying to find a starter, are short. Now is Sanders’ opportunity to show the NFL that they were wrong about him during the draft — but he better hurry.