Colorado great Shedeur Sanders to get some first-team reps with Browns, major concerns may show early

The Cleveland Browns are gearing up for training camp, with rookies having reported on July 18. One of the biggest storylines to watch is the quarterback competition, as four players are battling for starting jobs and roster spots. For now, former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick believes Joe Flacco is the frontrunner.

“If I was a betting man, Joe Flacco is gonna go into the year as the starter,” Fitzpatrick said. “He has history there, he has success there, and I think it’s a great story. He’s a guy that’ll bring calm, he’s the guy that’s going to be able to get them off on the right foot. As the season goes along, when you draft guys early, and when you have young exciting guys, they’re excited for Gabriel, we could see him inserted into the lineup.”

Still, the Browns’ quarterback room remains wide open, and there are varying opinions on who will win the starting job. While Shedeur Sanders is not expected to be the starter, his impact off the field has already drawn significant praise in Cleveland.

“I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never seen what Shedeur Sanders is doing this early on in a player’s career,” Cecil Shorts said on Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan. “I’ve never seen that before, I’ve never seen a rookie come into the league and before he even played a snap is already in the Garden Valley Projects.”

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently shared insight into how the Browns plan to handle the quarterback reps during training camp — and what it could mean for Sanders.

“The first week or two of training camp, I expect the Browns to run it similarly to the spring — OTAs and minicamp — all four quarterbacks training blows," Fowler said. "First team, second team and third team. You're going to see all that. And then Kevin Stefanski will crystalize the pecking order. Shedeur Sanders did impress in the spring, like he was willing to throw the ball in tight window. He was accurate. But when you ask people with Cleveland, they do bring some caution and (say) he was working with third-team a lot. Not much of a pass rush. He's got a ways to go and so that will probably show early on in camp."

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The concern surrounding Sanders isn’t just about where he currently stands on the depth chart — it’s how he’ll respond once given first-team reps. Going up against a defensive front led by Myles Garrett is no small challenge. If Sanders wants to earn a roster spot, he’ll need to adapt quickly and prove he can handle the pressure.