Shedeur Sanders’ start to life in the NFL has not exactly gone to planned, but he’s shown that he’s embracing every unexpected change while battling for his place with the Cleveland Browns
Shedeur Sanders has told his fans to call him ’12’ rather than ‘2’ after he had to change his jersey number – with his previous number already taken by a Cleveland Browns teammate.
Sanders wore the number 2 throughout his time in college, at both Jackson State and Colorado, but moved to the new number after being drafted. He admitted he had no interest in buying his preferred number from veteran DeAndre Carter.
The quarterback had come into the NFL Draft seen as one of the top prospects, before shockingly falling all the way to the fifth-round while seeing Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel be selected ahead of him – the latter going to the Browns and now competing with Sanders.
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Sanders has joined up with the Browns for rookie minicamp and will now be with the first-team in the coming weeks for OTA’s, where he’ll look to impress coming up veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Gabriel.
But Sanders has already shown that embracing the role he’s been put in, telling his fans to call him ’12’ rather than ‘2’, whilst also showing his leadership qualities to new teammate Quinshon Judkins.
The running back had been recording a video in the locker room with Sanders before the quarterback is heard telling him: “Bro put on your socks, you gotta show the stripes!” – for context, Browns players are fined for wearing team gear incorrectly.
Despite not having the start to his career that he’d have liked, Sanders is said to have impressed so far at rookie minicamp amid reports that he outclassed Gabriel – who he will be in direct competition with.
When the first-team players return, Sanders will also be battling for reps with Super Bowl winner Flacco and former first-round pick Pickett, who are seen as the likely starter and back-up.
As a fifth-round pick, Sanders is unlikely to get as much opportunities as the aforementioned quarterbacks, knowing he’ll have to make the most of every rep given his way.
The Browns’ OTA dates will be May 27-28, June 3-4 and June 6, before a mandatory minicamp from June 10-12. These sessions will be the only ones in which Sanders and Gabriel can work out with the team before preseason when teams must whittle their rosters down from 92 to 53.
The two rookie quarterbacks will have three preseason games to impress, where they may not only be auditioning for their current teams, but others if one of them is to be moved ahead of the regular season.
Who should start at QB for the Cleveland Browns?
Who should start at QB for the Cleveland Browns?
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