Joe Flacco Says Shedeur Sanders 'Has Been Great' amid Browns QB1 Competition

Cleveland Browns veteran quarterback Joe Flacco has been impressed with Shedeur Sanders thus far during organized team activities.

"Shedeur has been great. I mean, he's a lot of fun to be around in those meeting rooms," he told reporters Wednesday. "I think so far, there's been at least once in the meeting room that he's made me crack a smile, and that's what it's all about. You know, he's a young guy trying to learn some football and come out here and practice well and do those things. And like I said, he's been a lot of fun. I probably wasn't too far away from playing against his dad, and now I'm playing with him."

The Browns are entering one of the most bizarre quarterback competitions in recent memory. In an effort to replace colossal flop Deshuan Watson—who is recovering from a torn Achilles and very well could miss the entire 2025 season—the team acquired Flacco and Kenny Pickett in the offseason and drafted Dillon Gabriel and Sanders, setting up a four-man battle for the starting gig.

Flacco intends to compete for the job rather than operating solely as a mentor for the younger players.

"I see myself as a guy that can play in this league," he told reporters. "So, if your main focus was just like, 'Hey, but I'm going to get you ready,' you're just not taking care of business. The best way to be a mentor, honestly, is to show people how you go to work and, like I said, hope that they pick up on that stuff, but not necessarily force them to pick up on the things that you do."

So when it comes to Sanders, it appears Flacco will take a "show, don't tell" approach to mentoring him.