Something feels different inside the Cleveland Browns facility this spring — and Shedeur Sanders is not shy about saying so.
After the first session of the team’s three-day voluntary veteran minicamp, the second-year quarterback spoke with unmistakable energy about the atmosphere that first-year head coach Todd Monken and his staff have brought to Cleveland. For Sanders, it is not just a change in coaching personnel. It feels like a full reset.
A new vibe. A new energy. A new chance.
Shedeur Sanders and a Fresh Start in Cleveland
The optics alone told a story. Sanders showed up to minicamp wearing No. 2 — the jersey number he carried throughout his football life before being assigned No. 12 as a rookie last season. That small detail was not lost on anyone paying attention. It signaled something larger— a player who feels seen, comfortable, and ready to compete on his own terms.
Sanders split starting reps with veteran Deshaun Watson during Tuesday’s team drills, rotating through opportunities as Monken laid out his plan to distribute reps among the entire quarterback room. The head coach said that the distribution could shift from day to day, keeping the competition fluid and open.
What stood out to Monken was not the arm talent or the athleticism — it was the command. He said that at no point during the session did either quarterback appear lost. For a team installing a brand-new offensive system, that kind of mental composure is exactly what a coaching staff wants to see early in the process.
A Coach Who Speaks Life Into His Players
The relationship between Sanders and Monken did not begin with a depth chart conversation. It began with a hug.
When Monken — who spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens — walked into the Browns facility on his first official day as head coach, Sanders was there to meet him. Monken greeted the young quarterback warmly and even joked that he had tried to draft Sanders while in Baltimore. It was the kind of moment that sets a tone.
That bond has only grown since. Sanders recently gifted Monken a horse head for his birthday — a gesture that speaks to the comfort and humor that has developed between them. It is the kind of relationship that does not always show up in statistics but often determines how a young player develops.
For Sanders, having a coach who invests in him as a person first — and then pushes him in the meeting room, on the field, and in the weight room — has been the difference-maker heading into this critical stretch of his career.
What Last Season Proved and What Is Still Left to Show
Sanders was the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a selection that came with skepticism and noise. He spent much of his rookie year watching from the sideline before stepping into the starting role for the final seven games of a difficult season. The Browns finished 5-12, and Sanders went 3-4 as a starter — but he closed the year with back-to-back wins over division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, flashing the competitive edge that made him a highly touted prospect to begin with.
Now, heading into year two, he finds himself in a genuine quarterback competition with Watson, who is returning from an Achilles tear that kept him sidelined all of 2025, and Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick from last year’s draft who started six games as a rookie.
The stakes could not be higher — and Sanders seems to understand that completely.
The Competition Is Real, But So Is the Confidence
Monken has been transparent about the quarterback battle. Reps will be earned, not given. The coaching staff will evaluate every session, every decision, every throw — and the depth chart will reflect what they see, not what anyone assumed coming into camp.
Sanders spent a significant portion of his offseason working out in Cleveland, staying close to the facility and putting in the kind of preparation that suggests he is not treating this competition casually. He is not waiting for an opportunity. He is building toward one.
The minicamp is just the beginning. Mandatory minicamp runs June 9 through 11, and Monken has indicated he hopes to have a clearer picture of his starting quarterback by then. Training camp will be the ultimate proving ground.
But if the first day of voluntary minicamp is any indication, Shedeur Sanders is showing up — in the right number, with the right mindset, and with every intention of making this competition as interesting as possible.
Source: ESPN
