A month ago, it felt like a done deal. Just about everyone was ready to write Shedeur Sanders off in the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition as Deshaun Watson reportedly flashed a firmer grasp of head coach Todd Monken’s offense at the start of OTAs.
Those vibes have shifted drastically since the conclusion of the Browns’ spring offseason program. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported a key part of the reason why on Thursday. Sanders has been in Berea putting in work all offseason, and the two areas he’s improved the most in the eyes of coaches are his footwork and processing.
“At his best,” Oyefusi wrote, “Sanders was an aggressive passer with the ability to make plays with his arm and legs. Sanders' 275 combined scramble rush and passing yards were eighth most in the NFL over the final eight games of the season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
However, a recurring issue he struggled with in college continued in the pros: holding onto the ball for too long. In 2025, he averaged a 3.24-second time to throw, which ranked the highest in the NFL since he made his debut in Week 11.”
Shedeur Sanders' Improved footwork and processing helped change the tone of Cleveland's QB battle
Oyefusi detailed how the Browns made mirroring the quarterbacks’ footwork with the concept of each play call a priority during spring workouts, which are unpadded and can only feature a simulated pass rush.Â
"We hammer the quarterbacks and the appropriate footwork that corresponds to the timing and space of the concept," quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian said. "So you can tell without the full speed rush whether their timing is off, the timing mechanisms of the drop technique."
The fact that Sanders seemed to have his best practices during the final week of OTAs is impossible to ignore. The best way to endear yourself to a new coaching staff? Show marked improvement in the exact areas that staff has been hammering home since the first on-field workouts in April.
Watson has likely forgotten more about playing in the NFL than Sanders knows at this point. One player in this QB competition is an eighth-year pro with a $46 million base salary for 2026. The other has seven career pro starts to his name and will earn about $45 million less than Watson this year.
Sanders was always going to have to wow the coaching staff and prove that he was the right quarterback to lead Cleveland’s young offense into Week 1. Based on Oyefusi’s reporting, he’s done all the right things to hold Monken’s attention through the installment and development portion of the offseason.
If he can carry this momentum into the execution phase, there seems to be a real chance that he flips what once felt like a one-sided quarterback competition on its head.
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