Quarterback Shedeur Sanders Shows Off Accuracy At Cleveland Browns' OTAs

“The first quarterback in the early periods was Kenny Pickett, followed by Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. When they went into a little bit more competitive periods like 11-on-11, it was Flacco taking first dibs, followed by Pickett, then they flipped the order after that,” Grossi said. 

During rookie minicamp, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski noted that reps should not be paid too close attention to, but it is important to note the two veterans were given the first chance. Based on what was seen by the media, Sanders did not see as many reps as his fellow rookie quarterback.

“Overall, it looked like Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett if you add up all the reps they took, just handing off just leading one-on-ones and all that, Pickett and Gabriel probably had more reps than everyone followed by Flacco and Shedeur Sanders, kind of a distant fourth in terms of number of reps,” Grossi continued.

While Sanders did not get the brunt of the reps he was one of the most productive quarterbacks during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Flacco finished the day going 9-of-14 with one touchdown. Pickett and Gabriel both had the most pass attempts at 16. Pickett finished with nine completions and Gabriel finished with 11 completions and two touchdowns.

Sanders only had nine pass attempts but had seven completions. Of the completions, Sanders threw three touchdowns during 7-on-7 drills. With his performance and accuracy, Sanders can work his way up towards earning more reps during practices.

Sanders has proven that he is an accurate passer throughout his collegiate career. In 2024 with the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders passed for 4,134 yards and 32 touchdowns. He threw just 10 interceptions and finished the season with a 74.0 passer rating. The rookie is continuing to show that all he has to do is get on the field and show the team they were right in drafting him.

One of the top throws of the day for Sanders was during 7-on-7s when he connected with tight end Brenden Bates in the back corner of the endzone. There is still a long summer of practices, but Sanders is working towards moving up the depth chart, potentially becoming a starter.

"The quarterback room is fun," Sanders said. "Every day is fun going in there. Everything is real good. I'm happy. You got a bunch of different personalities in the quarterback room, and that's what it is. Just getting to talk to the quarterbacks that took NFL snaps, that played in the league, you're living the experience through them also and asking them whatever question comes to mind."