Thus far, the view surrounding Shedeur Sanders‘ training camp performance has been only positive. However, a Cleveland Browns insider revealed a totally different perspective.
Justin Cooper has covered the Browns for ESPN for a long time. On Monday, Cooper went to ‘The Really Big Show,’ where host Tony Rizzo asked if Shedeur had made any progress compared to his rookie season. Cooper bluntly replied that he has not.
No, he looks worse.
Cooper said
No, he looks worse.
Sanders is a fairly gifted signal-caller, but even he has flaws. Struggling to process quickly and holding onto the ball too long are some of the big weaknesses in his system. At Colorado, his average release time was 2.96 seconds (110th in the FBS), .20 seconds more than the national average. For that one flaw, he has taken an absurd number of sacks in his college career. In his senior year alone, he was sacked 38 times.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Sanders’ average release time increased to 3.23 seconds in his rookie season with the Browns. Sure, many would chalk it up to the coaches not giving him any first-team reps until his debut game. Regardless, the metrics don’t usually lie.
But that was supposed to improve, and he’s in the running for the starting job. But he looks like he’s still got a lot of work to do on his mechanics.
The Browns shouldn’t be discouraged because Sanders has been slinging it at the camp. Per Cleveland media, the former fifth-round draft pick leads the QB battle against Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. During the first week of spring camp, Sanders threw four touchdowns and one pick compared to Watson’s three TDs and six INTs and Gabriel’s three TDs and three INTs.
Watson praised Sanders. The veteran revealed that Sanders has .
Yeah, [Shedeur’s] definitely improved. He has grown a lot. You see it in his fundamentals, his release, being able to execute, call the plays, so you can tell he’s a lot more comfortable, and he’s been putting in the work to be where he’s right now.
Watson said
Cooper’s assessment wasn’t received with open arms by Browns and Shedeur fans. Cooper had to issue a clarification.
Cooper wrote:
All I said was he has looked worse in terms of holding onto the ball too long… I’m not gonna pander, just like I’m not going to pander to the opposite side when Shedeur plays well.
Cooper also posted videos from the latest day of camp. In one of the videos, Sanders can be seen connecting with second-year tight end Gage Larvadain for a touchdown. Sanders threw a gentle looper inside the red zone, which was plucked out of the air by Larvadain.
Larvadain, a South Carolina alum, went undrafted last year. The Browns signed him to a FA contract. He caught 7 passes for 71 yards in 13 appearances during his rookie season.
Additionally, Sanders has established a good connection with rookie receiver KC Concepcion. Per reports, he has frequently targeted the former Texas A&M star.
The Browns drafted Sanders in the fifth round in 2025. He completed 120 passes for 1400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in eight appearances. He finished with a 3-4 record.