Coming off a strong showing at the Cleveland Browns' rookie minicamp earlier this month, former Colorado Buffaloes star Shedeur Sanders is now navigating his first OTAs as an NFL quarterback.
The Browns kicked off their first round of OTAs (organized team activities) on Tuesday, and Sanders has so far performed well based on the highlights and reports coming out of Berea, Ohio. According to Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, Sanders took reps behind fellow quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel in offense-only drills on Wednesday, although coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters to avoid looking too deep into the order.
"We're mixing it up every single day," Stefanski said, per the Browns' team YouTube channel. "We're just trying to get guys exposure to different concepts and those types of things. It varies by walk-through, it can vary by drill. It's something that we're not worried about the order at this point."
ESPN Cleveland tracked the four quarterbacks during team drills on Wednesday and reported that Sanders completed seven of his nine passes for three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Flacco was 9-of-14 with one touchdown, Pickett was 9-of-16, and Gabriel finished 11-of-16 with two touchdowns and one interception.
To be clear, reading into stats from Day 2 of OTAs is a little ridiculous, but Sanders seemingly made the most out of his opportunities on Wednesday.
Browns practice is in the books. Here’s how all 4 QBs stacked up with their throwing reps in team drills pic.twitter.com/NsIZmjQSy3
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 28, 2025
One of Sanders' better throws came during 7-on-7s when he connected with tight end Brenden Bates for a touchdown in the back corner of the end zone. Tight ends weren't utilized much in Colorado's passing offense over the past two years, but it appears Sanders is learning to appreciate the extra receiver.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders with red zone TD. pic.twitter.com/fdySU3NGtM
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 28, 2025
Sanders threw another 7-on-7 touchdown to fellow tight end Tre' McKitty, a former third-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Chargers.
#Browns Shedeur Sanders to Tre McKitty pic.twitter.com/SzTKBUB5ez
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) May 28, 2025
After practice, Pickett and Flacco spoke to the media and were, of course, asked about Sanders' presence in the quarterback room.
"Shedeur's an awesome guy," Pickett said. "He's funny to be around, he's a great time every day in the quarterback room. We have a lot of laughs together. It's been a lot of fun having him in the building."
The 40-year-old Flacco took a more humorous approach to working with Sanders, joking that he nearly played with his father, Colorado coach Deion Sanders. Flacco's rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens came in 2008 while the elder Sanders spent his final NFL season with the same team in 2005.
"Shedeur's been great," Flacco said. "He's a lot of fun to be around in meeting rooms. So far, there's been at least once in the meeting room where he's made me crack a smile, and that's what it's all about. He's a young guy trying to learn some football and coming out here and practice well and do those things... I probably wasn't too far away from playing against his dad, and now I'm playing with him."
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