Could Browns embrace 'Hard Knocks' assignment after drafting Shedeur Sanders?

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders falling to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him with pick No. 144 gave the league a significant springtime television victory. 

On Monday night, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand suggested that team owner Jimmy Haslam could embrace the next "Hard Knocks: Training Camp" show assignment now that Sanders will be calling Cleveland home. 

"The Browns can volunteer to appear, but they can’t be forced," Grossi noted about the 2025 edition of the "Hard Knocks: Training Camp" show. "In April, NFL owners changed the eligibility rules for 'Hard Knocks: Training Camp' because only four teams were eligible under the old rules."

As part of the new guidelines, the Browns could decline because they've already been the featured "Hard Knocks: Training Camp" team once over the previous eight years (2018). However, Grossi seems convinced Haslam would at least consider welcoming "Hard Knocks" cameras to follow what some are already calling Cleveland's latest quarterback circus. 

"I am sure the Browns will be asked to appear because of the ratings appeal of Sanders," Grossi wrote. "Will they accept the invitation? Why not? The Browns love the attention. It’s one of the reasons they drafted Sanders after previously selecting quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round for football reasons."

While some analysts thought before the draft that Sanders' college game film shows he'll only be an NFL backup, at best, most members of the football community assumed as of the morning of April 24 that he wouldn't fall beyond the draft's second round. That said, how he reportedly handled the predraft process caused teams to pass on him multiple times before the Browns made him a fifth-round developmental project. 

History shows that Browns general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski would probably prefer to keep "Hard Knocks" crews away from the team's workouts for as long as possible. Last year, the "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" program turned Giants co-owner John Mara into somewhat of a punchline after the show detailed how Big Blue let running back Saquon Barkley reach free agency. 

Barkley ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, earned NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award honors in his first season with the club and then helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. 

"The drama surrounding the free-fall of the Colorado quarterback into the fifth round of the draft is the most-likely reason why viewership of the second day of the draft (Rounds 2 and 3) was up more than 40% from 2024," Grossi added about why the NFL would want to feature Sanders in the upcoming edition of the "Hard Knocks: Training Camp" program. 

There's more. Browns veteran quarterback Joe Flacco made it known before the draft that he wants to play this coming fall, and 2022 first-round choice Kenny Pickett is trying to restart his career with Cleveland. Adding Sanders and Gabriel to the mix could make for numerous must-see moments this summer if the Browns volunteer for the show.