Shedeur Sanders may have to improve key skill to win Browns' QB competition

Shedeur Sanders closed the gap in the competition with Deshaun Watson for the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job before the club's mandatory minicamp wrapped up on June 11. 

On Thursday, ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi touched upon how Sanders must improve in order to win the gig before August comes to an end. 

Shedeur Sanders has a history of holding onto the ball for too long

"In 2025," Oyefusi wrote about Sanders, "he averaged a 3.24-second time to throw, which ranked the highest in the NFL since he made his debut in Week 11. A lack of continuity with the starters -- his first practice reps with them came before his first start in Week 12 -- played a role, but Sanders acknowledged the need to get the ball out quicker. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, 53.3% of Sanders' passes were in rhythm, meaning the throw came between 2.5 and 4.0 seconds; this ranked ninth out of 30 qualifying quarterbacks from Weeks 11 to 18. But 18.9% of Sanders' attempts were extended, meaning the throw came after four seconds...It led to the 14 pressures on dropbacks when Sanders held the ball for at least four seconds (third most in the league) and three sacks on extended dropbacks (tied for second most)."

This is hardly surprising, as Sanders took an FBS-high 94 sacks over his final two college seasons. As Oyefusi noted, however, Sanders was largely buried on the depth chart by former head coach Kevin Stefanski until November of last year. 

Unlike what happened during Sanders' first training camp, he should receive opportunities to impress while working with the first-team offense this summer. It's unknown when first-year head coach Todd Monken will officially name his 2026 Week 1 QB1.

Browns coaches have seen and heard how Shedeur Sanders has grown in Todd Monken's offense

"This spring," Oyefusi added, "Browns quarterbacks practiced with GoPro cameras placed on top of their helmets. The tool's microphone allows coaches to replay audio of each quarterback and hear not only how they call plays in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage but also ensure that the cadence is as desired. The video capabilities also give the coaching staff a unique, first-person perspective of the quarterbacks' decision-making and where their eyes are in the progression. It has been a valued tool to monitor development in the scheme, as Monken's offense will give his quarterbacks plenty of autonomy to make audibles and change plays at the line of scrimmage."

According to multiple reports, the Browns likely will not give up anything of note to land former Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby during the upcoming supplemental draft. For a different article posted on Thursday morning, Zac Jackson of The Athletic shared that "probably, once all the research on Sorsby’s situation is done, the Browns will end up" passing on the controversial prospect who has a worrisome gambling history. 

Thus, Sanders should get multiple chances to prove his long-term worth to the Browns over the next seven months or so.