Shedeur Sanders almost surely knew coming out of his draft fall that he was going to have to earn everything with the Cleveland Browns. Competing with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in training camp, every rep and every moment of growth was going to matter more so than it might in other situations. And now, he sounds like a man ready to take advantage of an opportunity at hand, namely Pickett being sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Though Pickett outright said he still believes he can win the Browns' QB1 job despite the injury, he also admitted he's never dealt with a soft-tissue injury such as this before. That could be detrimental as we know hamstring issues can be notoriously slow to heal, meaning Pickett could be limited for some time. In turn, that could mean more reps for Sanders, who returned to practice after missing Saturday with some arm soreness. And the rookie's comments felt like someone who knows that Pickett's injury is giving him an opportunity to shine.
"Every rep I get, it's definitely like we're taking things up a notch," Sanders said speaking to the media at the Browns facility. "So, every rep, anytime I step on the field, I take it like it could be my last because you don't know. There's players we were just practicing with last week that's not here no more. So, like I said, it's more about a bond, more about going all-out, more about how you'll be remembered."
Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders on taking advantage of every rep, no matter how and where they come. pic.twitter.com/iLcDFpqE91
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 4, 2025
That doesn't sound like a player trying to rest on the laurels of being a celebrity and the son of Deion Sanders. That sounds like Shedeur Sanders is ready to take someone's spot, perhaps Pickett's in this window of opportunity.
Shedeur Sanders sounds motivated to earn his spot in Browns QB
Sanders obviously got a healthy serving of humble pie during the 2025 NFL Draft when, despite his posturing as a first-round pick, he ultimately fell to the Browns in the fifth round. And even that selection was a surprise after Cleveland had already selected Gabriel earlier in the proceedings.
After that, though, Sanders has said all the right things and, more importantly, has been backing that up. He's drawn a ton of positive reviews throughout the offseason, starting with minicamps and leading into training camp. It appears that he's already surpassed Gabriel, who has struggled to acclimate to the NFL early on in camp, and now could be eyeing Flacco and Pickett to take their spot on the Browns depth chart as well.
For as good as he's been in camp, though, this makes the preseason exponentially more important for Sanders, specifically in relation to Pickett. If the hamstring ailment is still lingering throughout this week, there's a good chance that the former first-round pick by the Steelers won't suit up for the Friday, Aug. 8 preseason matchup with the Carolina Panthers. Subsequently, that could give Sanders ample opportunities in live game reps to prove that he's worthy of more consideration.
As of now, though, it's clear that Sanders sees both the chance at hand and what's necessary from him to take advantage of that. He's done that for the most part to now, but the next couple of weeks might be even more important as he tries to overcome the odds in the Browns quarterback battle before Week 1.