Insider shares interesting update on where Shedeur Sanders is in Browns' QB competition

Ever since the start of springtime workouts, reporters have mentioned that rookie Shedeur Sanders has been fourth in the Cleveland Browns' quarterback pecking order behind fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel, veteran Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.

For a piece published on Thursday, Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic suggested that Sanders has exceeded expectations some had for him after he fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

"Flacco is the clear favorite to win the first phase of that competition and the starting job," Jackson wrote. "How the rest of it shakes out is anyone’s guess, but Sanders has been good enough this spring to make coaches believe he’s worthy of more chances this summer. I think he’s earned that, and based on what we’ve seen to this point, Sanders has positioned himself to make the roster and eventually make the folks in charge think about where he might belong on the depth chart."

A report from the first week of June revealed that unnamed people within the Browns believe Sanders "can 100 percent be the starter of this football team" come Labor Day. He has since repeatedly impressed with his performances through Cleveland's mandatory minicamp that was scheduled to wrap up on Thursday.