The Cleveland Browns made headlines when they selected the former Colorado Buffaloes star quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the No. 144 overall pick—a surprising slide for a player once ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the class by Mel Kiper of ESPN.
Following the draft, and after Browns coach Kevin Stefanski declared an "all-encompassing" quarterback evaluation, many expected Sanders to receive first-team reps at some point.
But despite impressing Colorado football fans throughout rookie minicamp and OTAs, Sanders did not take any first-team snaps, leading many to wonder if he was getting a fair shot in Cleveland.
NFL insider Albert Breer recently shed light on why that might be the case.
Breer joined Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan and addressed the topic head-on. According to Breer, it’s not about a lack of talent, but about a steeper learning curve compared to fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
“I think Shedeur—and this isn’t any fault of his own—had a lot more ground to cover than Dillon Gabriel,” Breer said. “Because of that, it’s harder to put him out there with the first team.”
Gabriel, drafted 50 picks ahead of Sanders by the Browns, reportedly entered spring practices with a stronger grasp of NFL-style concepts.
According to Breer, despite being coached by Deion Sanders and former NFL coordinator Pat Shurmur at Colorado, Shedeur lagged in some areas of mental processing during pre-draft interviews.
That insight challenges what many Colorado fans remember—of a quarterback who led a high-powered offense and helped guide a trio of receivers all drafted into the NFL, including Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, as well as Jimmy Horn Jr. and LaJohntay Wester.
“He had a bigger learning curve than Dillon Gabriel," Breer said. "There were teams that were stunned by how little Shedeur knew relative to what they thought… He was pretty far behind.”
Those critiques didn’t sit well with Deion Sanders, current Colorado coach, who defended his son’s preparation and professionalism during a May appearance on Asante Samuel’s Say What Needs To Be Said podcast.
“You’re gonna tell me he went into a meeting unprepared? Shedeur Sanders?” Deion said.
“Who has had six different [offensive] coordinators, who has still functioned and leveled-up every time we brought somebody new in... You're gonna tell me he had on headphones? Anybody who knows my son understands he's a professional.”
Still, Breer’s comments offer insight into how the Browns may be managing Shedeur’s development.
Cleveland appears to be giving Sanders the space to learn the system at his own pace while maximizing reps against second- and third-team defenses—a strategy that could pay dividends down the line.
Despite a lack of first-team reps, Sanders has performed well in spring practices.
Observers have praised his accuracy, decision-making, and confidence.
When compared to Browns quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco, Sanders has delivered some of the most consistent numbers, albeit against different competition.
However, it's hard to ignore how Sanders has made the most of the opportunities he has had thus far in his NFL career and in Boulder.
Sanders is fresh off two excellent seasons at Colorado. Sanders finished his Buffaloes career with 50 games played in four seasons and completed 1,267-of-1,808 passes (70.1%) for 14,353 yards and 134 touchdowns with 27 interceptions.
The typical fifth-round quarterback rarely gets the dedicated attention Sanders has received, signaling that the Browns do see real potential, even if his path to a starting role requires patience.
As Browns training camp begins at the end of July, all eyes will be on Sanders’ progress.
And while the early focus may still be on refining mechanics, mastering the playbook, and adjusting to live-game speed, if Sanders continues to perform well and make the most of the opportunities presented to him, it should be challenging for the Browns to keep him out of first-team reps as camp unfolds.
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