Shedeur Sanders' Progress Reportedly Has Browns 'Very, Very Encouraged' amid Rumors

All eyes will be on the quarterback position during training camp for the Cleveland Browns, and the team reportedly likes what it sees in the early going from Shedeur Sanders.

During an episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, insider Mary Kay Cabot reported that even though the team is focused on the rookie's long-term development over potentially starting him right away, it remains "very, very encouraged" by his progress during minicamp.

A long-term approach makes sense, as the Browns have a brutal six-game start to the season with matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

All of those teams are potential Super Bowl contenders, and three of them represent key divisional matchups.

Throwing Sanders right into that at the start of his career could be a quick path to lost confidence and an initial deficit in the standings. 

Cabot explained the Browns would need to "pare back your offense and you have to give him things to do that he feels really super comfortable with" if they started him right away, which would make winning any of those six games all the more difficult.

With veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, on the roster, Cleveland has plenty of options if it doesn't want to start Sanders at the start of his career.

That he is even on the roster as a potential long-term answer is something of a luxury, as he fell all the way to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

The Browns likely didn't go into the draft thinking they would have the opportunity to land the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year who was once seen as a surefire first-rounder so late in the proceedings, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they practice patience with an eye on the future.

For now, the team likes what it sees from the rookie even if he might not be the immediate starter given the gauntlet at the beginning of the schedule.