Shedeur Sanders Seizes Browns Opportunity After Pickett Injury

At the end of the first week of 2025 NFL training camp, the Cleveland Browns received some tough news. Recent trade acquisition Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring and would be unavailable indefinitely.

The team brought in the former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick to compete against three other offseason additions for their vacant starting quarterback spot. Following Deshaun Watson's re-rupture of his Achilles last winter, the Browns traded for Pickett, signed veteran Joe Flacco in free agency, and selected both Oregon's Dillon Gabriel and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.

All four candidates were expected to have an earnest chance to be named the Browns QB1 ahead of season kickoff. However, Pickett's injury and recent developments through the early part of training camp have started to shape Cleveland's depth chart.

Shedeur Sanders gets new opportunity in Browns training camp following Kenny Pickett's injury

So far, fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders seems to be on the outside of the quarterback competition looking in, with former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco looking more and more like the favorite. This has been through no fault of his own, as the young prospect has been consistently putting up solid performances through minicamp, OTAs, and training camp. However, the Browns have been outspoken about taking their time with his development.

Sanders has yet to get any reps with the first-team offense, suggesting that he's still far away from climbing to the top of the depth chart. However, things might be changing soon, especially with Pickett out.

On the seventh day of Browns training camp, Sanders got his first opportunity against Cleveland's starting defense. Against their first-team D, he went 2-of-3, throwing on-time into tight windows on all three attempts. He did, however, take one sack as well.

For the day, he finished 6-of-10, continuing his impressive run throughout the offseason so far. Hopefully, he'll get a chance to prove his mettle alongside the starting offense soon. He might look even better against Myles Garrett and the rest of the Browns' defense if he has Jerry Jeudy to target and Cleveland's starting O-line carving out pockets for him.