Why Cleveland Browns Should Start Shedeur Sanders In Week One

“Whatever you see and whatever you hear is about the young fella getting better. If he steps into this preseason and he plays well and he looks like he’s been looking out here at practice, and he looks like the Shedeur Sanders from Colorado, you have to start this young boy week one,” Jones said on FS1's The Facility.

Sanders demonstrated his accuracy throughout the open OTA and mandatory minicamp practices. He may not have had as many reps as some of his teammates, but he shows his skills. ESPN Cleveland tracked and revealed all three quarterbacks' stats during the 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s during the open practices.

Sanders finished the five practices going 41-for-53 with nine touchdowns and one interception. While he was the only quarterback to throw an interception, he had the highest completion percentage, 77.4 percent, of the four players. He also threw the most touchdowns, with Gabriel right behind with eight.

It is difficult to judge the future of the Browns based on minicamp, but if Sanders continues to perform as he has, Cleveland will continue to give him a shot at starting.

“It is going to be so much pressure put on this organization,” Jones continued. “It has been years and years and years since the Browns have had a consistent, good quarterback. And you sneak and get this one in the fifth round. I think if he shows that he can play with this open competition the coach is telling us that they are having."

"I believe that he’s the best one out there talent-wise from top to bottom. Put him out there week one, let him start, and let him go through his ups and downs,” Jones said.

Though Sanders fell to the fifth round, he did enough with the Colorado Buffaloes to make him a first-round draft projection. In 2024, Sanders passed for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He finished with a 74.0 completion percentage but did take 42 sacks. One of the areas that Sanders will have to continue to improve on is understanding when to let the play die and throw the ball away.

While it may be a competition, Sanders is taking in the opportunity to learn from the multiple players in the quarterback room. Flacco is a Super Bowl champion and Pickett is coming off a season with the reigning Super Bowl winning team. He is taking it one day at a time and continuing to work to become an NFL starter.

"My goal is to be the best teammate and to be as polished as I can be in every aspect," Sanders said following the Browns' first mandatory minicamp practice, per the team's livestream. "I view things as I got time. I got time to be able to grow and mature and be able to understand the ins and outs of the defenses and be able to get the good insight from the vets in the room. I look at it as a plus. I got time to really be able to have a great understanding."