Shedeur Sanders Snubbed as Browns Analyst Names Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett as Week 1 Frontrunners

Things aren’t getting any easier for Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland. After sliding to the 5th round in the draft, he now faces the uphill task of fighting his way into the Browns’ quarterback rotation. The competition is fierce, with two veterans and two rookies all vying for a spot on the depth chart. While the Colorado alum has shown flashes of promise during OTAs and minicamp, the road to becoming QB1 remains steep, and Shedeur knows he still has to pay his dues.

There’s always the chance a rookie can impress in the preseason and leapfrog a veteran, but that’s easier said than done. In his case, that path seems even tougher. According to Browns analyst Spencer German, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are currently the frontrunners to open the season as QB1 and QB2.

German noted that coaches have split reps somewhat evenly during the early offseason, but they’ll likely shift the focus once training camp begins. At that point, the focus will shift to giving Flacco and Pickett the majority of first-team snaps as the Browns begin preparing in earnest for the regular season.

“I still think by the time we get down to the camp, so I think they are gonna open the cano with Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco being the guys that are getting most of the reps with the ones. Now, maybe Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel can change their minds with how they play in the preseason. But I think they are going to open up camp with sort of understanding, and by the end of it’s going to be one of those two guys that I mentioned taking the reins going into week one.”

Shedeur Sanders has quietly outperformed the other three quarterbacks in OTAs and minicamp. Apparently, tracking stats from these offseason workouts is becoming more common, and Sanders’ numbers stand out. The Colorado alum completed 41 of 53 passes for a 77.4% completion rate, throwing 9 touchdowns to just 1 interception, all while working exclusively with the backups.

Despite his performance and composure, Sanders remains the only quarterback not getting first-team reps, suggesting the Browns still view him through the lens of a fifth-round pick buried at fourth on the depth chart. That said, he continues to improve and earn snaps, which is notable for a late-round rookie many expected to struggle for reps.

Given how well he has practiced so far, and if that carries into preseason games, former Packers wide receiver and Super Bowl champion James Jones believes Sanders deserves a shot to start—if not as the outright QB1, then at least in serious contention for the job by Week 1.

“I didn’t think he was even going to have the reps. Then the coach comes out and says we have a four-way competition, which means the competition is wide open. Then Shedeur puts some tape out there. It’s not a game tape, it’s a practice tape, and every time you see the tape, he is either throwing a TD or a completion. If he steps into this preseason and he plays well, and he looks like Shedeur Sanders from Colorado, you have to start this boy week one.”

That’s a bold take from Jones, especially considering Shedeur Sanders hasn’t taken a single first-team rep yet. The Browns have maintained that it’s an open quarterback competition, but their actions suggest otherwise.

Realistically, the Week 1 job will almost certainly go to veteran Joe Flacco, with Kenny Pickett as the backup, particularly since Cleveland traded for him. Still, the Browns have no intention of parting ways with either of their rookie QBs