Sanders Shockwave: Rookie QB Flashes Fire in First Camp—Commanders Command Attention Already!

A new chapter to the Cleveland Browns' four-man quarterback competition began on Wednesday as coach Kevin Stefanski's squad held its first training camp practice of the preseason.

Only three months after being drafted by the Browns, rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel suited up alongside veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett at the Browns' practice facility in Berea, Ohio. Stefanski didn't reveal much after practice about his quarterback battle, but all four had strong moments on Wednesday. Still, it's too early to make any legitimate conclusions regarding who will start under center for the Browns in Week 1.

"The big thing for me is putting our guys in position where we can evaluate them," Stefanski said of his quarterback competition. "I think they did a great job in the spring, all four of those guys. We'll continue to put them in some situations, but ultimately we'd love to make a decision sooner than later."

Jul 23, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

With plenty of eyes on the former Colorado Buffaloes star, Sanders is navigating his first NFL training camp. The youngest son of CU football coach Deion Sanders was drafted in the fifth round but may have the greatest potential among Cleveland's four healthy quarterbacks. In two seasons with the Buffs, Sanders won 13 games while throwing for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Most likely, Stefanski will play it safe and roll with one of his two veterans to begin the season. Sanders and Gabriel must remain ready, however, because the Browns do have the depth to make a starting quarterback change if necessary.

Jul 23, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws a pass as quarterback Joe Flacco (15) looks on during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Keeping in mind that statistics from practice don't hold much value, below is a breakdown of how many passes Sanders, Gabriel, Flacco and Pickett completed in team drills during the Browns' first training camp practice on Wednesday, according to ESPN Cleveland:

Cleveland Browns Quarterback Tracker: Training Camp Practice No. 1

Joe Flacco: 5-for-5

Shedeur Sanders: 3-for-8

Kenny Pickett: 6-for-7

Joe Flacco: 6-for-7, one touchdown

Again, it's ridiculous to track training camp completions, but Sanders seemingly had a rough first practice compared to the Browns' other three quarterbacks. A sample size of eight passes doesn't hold much statistical significance, though, and it's unclear how many incompletions were due to receiver drops.

ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi noted on X that Sanders had a "lot of contested passes in tight windows that went incomplete."

As seen above, Sanders made a nice throw outside the numbers to wide receiver Gage Larvadain, a fellow rookie who spent last season at South Carolina.

Sanders and the Browns will take on the Carolina Panthers (Aug. 8), Philadelphia Eagles (Aug. 16) and Los Angeles Rams (Aug. 23) in the preseason. It's currently unclear how many snaps Sanders will see in each of the Browns' three preseason games.