Shedeur Sanders 'Focused' As Cleveland Browns OTAs Begin: 'I Don't Talk To My Family'

“I haven’t talked to (Brady) since the draft,” Sanders told SportsCasting. “I’ve mainly just been focusing on the team, everybody that’s currently around me, the coaches on the team. I haven’t really been on my phone much or talking to many people. I really don’t even talk to my family. It’s one of those situations where I just have to lock in, stay focused on what’s present now.”

After Cleveland's three day rookie minicamp, it's clear that Shedeur is not a typical fifth round NFL Draft pick. The media coverage from Berea is unprecedented and expect that to continue as the Browns offseason workouts continue. Cleveland's quarterback conundrum is one of the most interesting NFL storylines of this season.

The Browns have five quarterbacks on the roster. Will a veteran or rookie earn the starting job? Will one of the quarterbacks be traded or cut? Has Cleveland finally found an answer to a decade-long search for a franchise quarterback?

Reporters who attended Cleveland's rookie minicamp in Berea are split on who performed better. Some say it was clearly Sanders who shined while others were in awe of Gabriel's deep throw ability. Sanders maintained that there is no beef between him and Gabriel amid the competition.

“Everything’s been cool,” Sanders continued. “He’s a cool person. I like how he handles situations, especially just the negative media that’s coming his way. I’m just happy he’s positive, he’s able to handle everything. We’re truly cool.”

Sanders' NFL Draft fall to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft is also controversial, adding intrigue to his NFL potential.

When Sanders was still available in the fifth round, the Browns saw the value in adding more competition. Cleveland had already drafted former Oregon Ducks star and Heisman Trophy candidate Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the draft.

The selection comes with a lot of scrutiny but also a high ceiling.

"This is part of the reason why there are teams who could have used and upgraded a backup quarterback or could have bought this lottery ticket (Shedeur) and didn't because they don't want to deal with that," NFL insider Ian Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee Show. "The Browns are going to deal with it, but if he's as good as some people think he could be, they're going to get the reward and they're going to benefit for 10 years if he's the franchise starter they hope."

The Cleveland Browns plan to have Pickett and Gabriel splitting the first and second team reps to begin OTAs according to a report from Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot. Sanders and Flacco will split the third and fourth team reps as the team prepares for training camp and preseason games.

The next month of offseason activities will be integral for the Browns to sort through their quarterback depth chart. Cleveland's training camp is at the end of July and its season opener is on Sept. 7 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

Sanders isn't backing down from the challenge of the competition. The middle son of NFL legend and Colorado Buffaloes "Coach Prime," Shedeur is prepared for the attention.

“My job here isn’t to prove people wrong, I’m proving myself right,” Sanders said during rookie minicamp. “I fully believe it. What those people say, that’s just their opinions. I don’t truly care. They don’t really live in my mental space about that type of stuff. It really doesn’t do anything for me.”