Following his surprising fifth-round selection, coupled with three more quarterback additions this offseason, Shedeur Sanders could be the odd man out on the  Cleveland Browns’ depth chart. His lack of first-team reps in the opening days of training camp indicates that he faces an uphill battle to make the roster. Sanders brushed off the pressure, though, and said he is up to the challenge as the quarterback competition heats up.
Battling with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, returning veteran Joe Flacco and offseason newcomer Kenny Pickett, Sanders might be as low as fourth in the pecking order just over a month out from the season opener.
“Whenever I get my opportunity, I gotta maximize it,” Sanders said on Friday. “I just gotta think about what I could do to get better even if I’m not getting reps. It’s no problem.”
Draft projections widely viewed Sanders as a potential franchise quarterback likely to fly off the board in the first round. Instead of becoming the second signal-caller taken, behind No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, he waited until the fifth round and heard a plethora of surprising names called before his own.
The adversity keeps on coming for Sanders as he cedes reps to the other quarterbacks in practice. As for why the other contenders seemingly have a leg up on him in the race for the starting job, he said it’s “not my place” to answer that question.
“I feel like it’s not in my control,” said Sanders. “So I’m not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is. It’s a lot of people that want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I’m here, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity. Whenever that is, it is. But it doesn’t make me feel down or it doesn’t make me feel left out or anything, because I know who I am as a person, I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team.”
What Sanders offers to the Browns is a long track record as a highly productive starter and a battle-tested quarterback who thrived despite playing behind leaky offensive lines at Colorado. He was one of the top passers at the FCS level during his Jackson State stint and contended for national passing titles at the NCAA’s highest subdivision when he moved up to the power=conference echelon.
In the months since his Colorado exit, Sanders said he has become more comfortable with his role as a quarterback competition member. It is a stark contrast to his guaranteed role as a starter in his four college seasons.
“You don’t even know what reps you’re going to get, so you gotta be ready for everything,” Sanders said. “That’s how it is in games, also. So jot down the plays, understand conceptually what it is. I would say from rookie minicamp and OTAs to now, I learned more in-depth with everything.”
