Shedeur Sanders describes dynamic of Browns QB room ahead of competition

Shedeur Sanders gave a little insight to the Cleveland Browns quarterback room dynamic with five different signal callers. Sanders, along with rookie Dillon Gabriel, are competing with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett for the starting gig. Of course, there’s Deshaun Watson, but his future in Cleveland, and even in the NFL, is murky to say the least.

Sanders’ NFL Draft slide was noteworthy as he was a projected first round pick and ended up in the fifth round. To add context, Gabriel was selected by Cleveland in the third round out of Oregon.

But the former Colorado QB loves his teammates and is eager to learn, as he revealed at the NFL’s rookie showcase. Heck, he’s even starstruck by Flacco, a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP.

“We’re all different characters,” Sanders said on Up and Adams. “It’s funny going in there and seeing Joe everyday. It’s funny because at practice I’m like ‘Wow I’m really with Joe Flacco right now.’ We’re on the same team! That’s cool and of course with Kenny, with the experience he has being in the league for these years it’s cool, just seeing the process. Deshaun of course, he’s active in there, he’s in all the meetings. It’s cool to talk to him.”

Sanders was borderline smitten with Flacco with the way he talked about his elder teammate. From growing up watching him to learning from him, Sanders truly embraced the quarterback room in Cleveland.

“He’s just so funny and we’re on the same team … everybody’s cool in the room,” Sanders said. “Outside the room people try to put us against each other but inside the room, we know we’re one.”

Logically, one would expect Sanders to be ultra competitive to win the spot. His comments don’t indicate that he won’t be, but it’s clear that all Browns quarterbacks are in it together, at least to make each other the best versions of themselves.

In an interview with DJ Siddiqi of SportsCasting.com, Sanders talked about his relationship with Gabriel. There’s no rivalry between teammates.

“Everything’s been cool,” Sanders said. “He’s a cool person. I like how he handles situations, especially just the negative media that’s coming his way. I’m just happy he’s positive, he’s able to handle everything. We’re truly cool.”

Earlier this month during the Browns rookie minicamp, head coach Kevin Stefanski talked about the competition between Sanders and Gabriel. One of them could very well start early on.

“You may get the first rep of practice with the ones, but then the next period you may get the second group. So, we vary it throughout. We’re focused more on the totality of this competition,” Stefanski said, via the Browns’ official website. “I told the players last night, we tell them this – we’re evaluating everything they do out on the field, in the meeting room, in the weight room. We want to see how they work. So, this is a total evaluation. It’s not just about one rep at rookie minicamp or one rep in an OTA. It’s really all about the body of work.”