Shedeur Sanders Dazzles, Plus 6 Other Takeaways From Browns OTAs

For context, Sanders was going against the second and third teamers on defense, but he definitely made the most of his reps. Regardless, it feels pretty clear that he remains the fourth-string QB on this roster right now.

2) QB Struggles

There was a clear focus today on the three younger QBs in Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett. Gabriel got a healthy number of 11-on-11 reps with the first team. Pickett took most of the others and Sanders worked in with the twos, threes and fours later in practice.

In general, though, the QBs seemed to struggle today. Gabriel had a nice TD pass late in practice during some 7-on-7 work, but had some accuracy issues during other phases. Kenny Pickett struggled today, aside from a few throws, including a strike to Jerry Jeudy for a touchdown.

Flacco really didn't take too many reps in general, which speaks to the fact that the team seems comfortable with what they're getting from him. They don't need to see him taking reps this time of year. Next week at minicamp may be a different story, though, and will likely provide an even clearer picture of the QB depth chart.

3) Where is Diontae?

For a second straight week, Diontae Johnson was nowhere to be seen at Wednesday's open practice. Obviously, OTAs are voluntary, so under normal circumstances it wouldn't be a major problem that Johnson wasn't there. But his circumstances aren't normal.

For all intents and purposes, this may be his last chance in the NFL, and he's on a team with minimal wide receiver talent so he'd be getting a ton of reps. For him not to be present for OTAs at this point is perplexing.

Along with Johnson, Myles Garrett, David Njoku, Jack Conklin and Joel Bitonio were not involved in Wednesday's session. Greg Newsome II, who missed last week's open practice, was participating on Wednesday.

4) Flying Around

Wednesday was just one of those days where the defense looked ahead of the offense. That group is really active. You can see the communication across the levels of the unit trying to signal certain things and make sure everyone is on the same page. That really stood out today.

There was at least one interception I saw, along with a handful of other passes that could have been intercepted but ended up as PBUs. The defense had a lot to do with the QB struggles overall. For this time of year especially, the defense is expected to be a little ahead of the offense.

5) Learning Quickly

Speaking of the defense, rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger continues to show how instinctual he is out on the field. Whether it's diagnosing a run play or covering a pass catcher in space, his ranginess has been on full display during OTAs.

Back at rookie minicamp Schwesinger said he felt his game was similar to that of his teammate Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. And while it's not necessarily fair to compare him to a Pro Bowler just yet, veteran LB Jordan Hicks gave some credence to that and seems impressed by the rookie.

"You see his natural ability to just be in the right spot at the right time," said Hicks. "He reads things fast. His ability to get downhill, especially in this type of defense for a linebacker is needed and he's able to do that. Yeah, I think for him it's just getting comfortable. Any rookie that comes in, the speed of the game, the speed of having to see things move and making sure you're always in the right spot, that's always the hardest part. So I think once the pads get away, this is step one, step two, the pads come on and then live bullets and then preseason comes. So for what he's been exposed to and what he's done, been asked to do, he's doing a great job."

6) NFL Ready

The rookie lovefest continues for me because Quinshon Judkins looks like he could suit up tomorrow for a game and put up some big numbers. One play earlier on in practice really stood out where Judkins made a ridiculous cut to bounce a play outside for a big gain.

He's looked consistently strong during these OTAs. On a team with a lot of questions at several key positions, Judkins is the clear answer at running back. He's going to be special, I think.

7) Setting the Bar High

It's hard to believe that Myles Garrett could actually get better at this point in his career, but Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz seems to think it's going to happen. After a chaotic offseason that saw Garrett request a trade out of Cleveland, he wound up returning to the franchise with a record-setting extension to show for it.

More money brings more expectations, though, and Schwartz wasn't afraid to say it.

"I really think Myles is going to have the best season of his career," Schwartz said. "Has to, right? I mean with, I've told him before, what's that Spider-Man quote? With great power comes great responsibility, and with the big contract, with the notoriety that came along with that and the process that took to get him to that point, there also comes, I mean there's always pressure in this league, but probably a little bit more. And I think that that brings out the best in players and I know that'll be the case with Myles also."