![\"Cleveland](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2252078109-e1776801162280.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.<\/p>\n
Shedeur Sanders<\/a> is treating the Cleveland Browns<\/a>\u2018 quarterback competition like the only thing that matters \u2014 because, in his words, it is.<\/p>\n Sanders was all smiles after the first day of the team\u2019s voluntary veteran minicamp on Tuesday. He got a healthy serving of reps as the Browns\u2019 \u201copen competition\u201d at quarterback got underway.<\/p>\n After the session, Sanders delivered a notable statement on why he remained in Cleveland for most of the offseason.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the most important thing I have to do in my life,\u201d Sanders said with a big smile<\/a>. \u201cI have a house here. I\u2019m comfortable. I wanted to take everything to the next level within myself. I know there are some things I want to improve and took a lot of time to self-reflect and view things from a different perspective. I think I covered a lot of ground with that.\u201d<\/p>\n All three quarterbacks \u2014 Sanders, Deshaun Watson<\/a> and Dillon Gabriel<\/a> \u2014 were present for the optional session. But it was Sanders who stood out, taking the most reps on Day 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n Shedeur Sanders Making His Case Early<\/p>\n New Browns coach Todd Monken commended Sanders for being a frequent presence at the Browns facility during the offseason program. Watson and Gabriel, by contrast, were largely absent from the building during that period.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been great that he\u2019s been in the building. It\u2019s refreshing to see a player that recognizes where he\u2019s at and where he wants to get to,\u201d Monken said earlier this month<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sanders made seven starts during an up-and-down rookie campaign, throwing for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He\u2019s voiced strong confidence in taking a step forward<\/a> while remaining open and committed to learning as he develops.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know everything at all. I\u2019m open to learning every day and on different things just in life. I learned how to cut my beard the other day. I try to learn something new every day because I\u2019m not one who thinks my way is the best way,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cI just like to learn different points of view and perspectives. I come in here with a new mindset and am approaching life that way.\u201d<\/p>\n He credited Monken for giving him additional confidence heading into next season.<\/p>\n \u201cCoach just spoke life into me,\u201d Sanders said<\/a>. \u201cAnd then when you do that, you just get the best result from me, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n Shedeur Sanders Calls on Browns Media to Match the Energy<\/p>\n Sanders also had a message for the Cleveland media, calling on them to bring winning energy as the team tries to turn the page on years of frustration.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a new vibe. The only thing we\u2019re missing is y\u2019all. We need y\u2019all to have a new vibe and energy. We need some winning energy here,\u201d Sanders said, channeling the energy of his famous father, Deion Sanders. \u201cWe can\u2019t have too much negativity going on. If you want our players to be our best versions of ourselves, it\u2019s a community thing. Let\u2019s approach this with a better attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n Monken has made it clear he wants to establish the quarterback hierarchy sooner rather than later. Sanders\u2019 confidence \u2014 paired with his opportunity \u2014 has positioned him firmly in the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tJ.R. DeGroote<\/a> JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Browns\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Shedeur Sanders is treating the Cleveland Browns\u2018 quarterback competition like the only…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":871407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-871406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-browns","8":"tag-browns","9":"tag-cleveland","10":"tag-cleveland-browns","11":"tag-clevelandbrowns","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116444573396353615","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=871406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/871406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/871407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=871406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=871406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=871406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}