As a rookie fifth-round pick, former Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders can't afford to find himself in the crosshairs of Cleveland Browns management, particularly for off-field reasons, as he faces an uphill battle in a crowded quarterback room.
But Sanders made some unfortunate off-field decisions in June, twice being cited for excessive speeding. Sanders was ticketed for driving 91 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone. Soon after, he was cited again, this time for going 101 mph in a 65 mph zone.
On Thursday, Browns General Manager Andrew Berry was asked about the incidents, and he offered sharp criticism of his rookie quarterback.
"Not smart. That’s just not smart,” Berry said. “It’s something that we have addressed with him. He understands the implications. He understands the consequences. I think the thing is it’s not just about yourself. . . . It’s not just about driving your car real fast. It’s about the fact that you endanger other people. It’s about the fact that if a deer or someone cuts out in front of you like your reaction time. It’s just dangerous, and it’s not something that we want our guys to be doing. It’s not something that they should be doing. The No. 1 reason is because we don’t want some catastrophic accident.”
Early Training Camp reps shows Shedeur Sanders has a long way to go
Sanders is facing an uphill battle in the Browns' four-way QB competition and can't afford to give the team any reason to move on from him. He's competing with veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who the Browns drafted two full rounds before picking Sanders.
The early days of Training Camp showed that Sanders is starting well behind in the competition. He received zero first-team reps on Thursday. He didn't receive any second-team reps, either. According to reports, Sanders got on the field for only four snaps on Thursday, all with the third team, which occurred late in practice during 11-on-11 redzone reps.
No 11-on-11 team reps for Shedeur Sanders today. Unless one of the veterans gets moved, it might be a very quiet camp for the Colorado rookie.
— The Dawgs - A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) July 24, 2025
Update: Sanders took 4 reps with the third string late in practice during redzone 11-on-11s.
By all reports, none of the quarterbacks… pic.twitter.com/7o2mYDOxFs
That doesn't necessarily mean that Sanders has no shot in the QB competition; it just shows how far he has to come in order to become a legitimate contender to start in Cleveland. He'll get opportunities as Training Camp and preseason progress. It's likely that the Browns will determine quickly which veteran QB they want to keep and waive the other. Based on reps, it looks like it's Kenny Pickett's job to lose.
Sanders just needs to keep his head down, stay out of trouble, and put the work in.