Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has looked the part during OTAs, according to the team’s color analyst, Nathan Zegura, who’s been around the franchise for more than a decade. During Wednesday’s team drills, Sanders reportedly threw three touchdown passes without an interception and completed 7 of 9 throws.
Sanders is battling three others in a crowed quarterback room for the Browns and was the fourth addition at the position this offseason, joining Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and fellow 2025 NFL Draft selection Dillon Gabriel.
“Shedeur’s looked good, though,” Zegura said during an appearance on Audacy’s “Maggie and Perloff Show” that was posted Friday. “His ball placement is elite. His ability to layer throws is elite. I think he’s got plenty of arm strength, we’ve seen that on display, certainly in camp at times. There is something about Shedeur, I got a chance to interview him, very confident, but not in a cocky way. Has a lot of belief in himself. I like him. I like the kid a lot.”
Cleveland saw Sanders as a high-value pick in the firth round, despite taking Gabriel two rounds prior. Selecting two quarterbacks was never the plan, according to general manager Andrew Berry, but Sanders’ talent level — and especially where he was available — was too appetizing to pass on.
“I was very into the Browns taking him in the first round in my tape study of him,” Zegura said. “To me, if you can be that accurate … he was so tough. He got beaten up in college, I mean, absolutely annihilated behind that line. Did he develop bad habits? Sure, but when he was clean, his ball placement is elite. And if you can be accurate and know where the ball is supposed to go, you can be very successful in this league for a long time, especially in this kind of offense.”
Browns’ Joe Flacco goes on epic rant about why he doesn’t consider himself a mentor for young quarterbacks
Bryan DeArdo
Despite negative reports leading up to the draft and during Sanders’ slide, there’s been nothing but positivity emanating from Browns camp. Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski joined Browns radio earlier month and raved about his work ethic.
“Shedeur’s a great kid,” Stefanski said. “And whether it’s a following that he’s earned — I mean, that’s something that he’s done a great job of, interacting with fans. But he’s a great, great kid. He’s working like crazy, just like all the guys. These rookies, my office is downstairs. They’ve gotta walk by my office as they come in, and they come in early.
“Shedeur, like all those guys, he’s in there early. He’s getting his work done. He’s working really, really hard. I like everything there is about Shedeur.”
For Sanders, he needs to play with the biggest point to prove this summer to make Cleveland’s roster given the low-risk investment made in him. Sanders threw for 4,134 yards passing, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season at Colorado as one of the Big 12’s top quarterbacks.
“If this is an organic competition with a level playing field, he can be your starter Week 1, no doubt about it,” former NFL personnel director Louis Riddick said this week on ESPN.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings