Three days into his first Browns camp, Shedeur Sanders was stuck throwing to the third and fourth teams. A depth‑chart purgatory that few fifth‑round quarterbacks find themselves in. When coaches finally slid him up to the second unit on Friday, Sanders didn’t bemoan the wait. “It’s not in my control,” he shrugged, after uncorking one of camp’s sharpest throws to tight end Blake Whiteheart. For a prospect with first‑round talent and a famous name, his willingness to sit, soak up the reps and stay ready may be the real edge he brings to this quarterback room.
Although Stefanski put him at the end, with the way he’s been performing at training camp, we might see him atop the ladder, box in hand.
“He’s a very, very hard worker; he has fun when he’s in the building. I’m enjoying watching him progress,” Stefanski said about Sanders. Currently, he is a high-upside developing talent for Stefanski. The HC doesn’t put him at the top. Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, and then Sanders. That’s the way things have shaped up after weeks of speculation about the Brown’s QB depth chart. While evaluations are far from over, it doesn’t seem like Stefanski will change the order for now. Despite Shedeur Sanders going crazy at training camp today.
Shedeur Sanders finds Diontae Johnson in the back of the end zone for a TD during more red zone work pic.twitter.com/BNExeyX43m
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) July 26, 2025
Dime after dime after dime, he threw for 3TDs today while Pickett made 2 and Gabriel made 1. Flacco didn’t make any. One of those TDs was especially brilliant. A glance to the left, blocked. To the right, Diontae Johnson runs behind. And bang. Right on the money. It landed in Johnson’s hands before he even knew it. Oohhs and Aaahhs filled the field as Johnson scored the touchdown. “Accuracy and ball placement,” it read under strengths on Shedeur’s scouting profile, and he showed every bit of that today.
The coaches expressed their admiration, but Stefanski refused to budge. Shedeur will still play at the end of the chart. However, if he can continue to put up numbers the way he has today, with 8/11 completions and 3 TDs, it’s only a matter of time before Shedeur forces Stefanski’s hand.
As noted in a tweet on X, Stefanski said, “Can’t promise any changes to the rotation going into Monday.” While this doesn’t mean things are set in stone, the chances of a change are slim. It’ll take a couple more days, like the one Shedeur has had today, to change his mind. And there is still time. He is already building great chemistry with his receivers. Particularly Johnson, who got a TD today. However, for Johnson, his QB 1 is actually someone else.
Johnson chooses Pickett over Shedeur Sanders
While the Sanders-Johnson pair is blowing up, Johnson already has another quarterback on the Browns’ roster whom he trusts. Kenny Pickett. Johnson has even come out and publicly voiced his confidence in Pickett as the starting quarterback. “I think they are probably going to roll with him (Pickett) just to see like he’s coming off a season with Philly and having a Super Bowl. Then, you know they can live with Joe and what he brings to the table.” A Super Bowl can indeed be a game-changer in these things.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Cleveland Browns Minicamp Jun 10, 2025 Berea, OH, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett 8 throws a pass during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Berea CrossCountry Mortgage Campus OH USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20250610_kab_bk4_014
However, Pickett didn’t make the cut to start week 1. That privilege goes to Flacco, who couldn’t contribute any touchdowns in camp today. While Pickett is likely to start games once the regular season begins, it will be worth watching how quickly he is made to start. He and Johnson linking up will be a throwback to 2023. After all, they did play two seasons together with the Steelers in 2022 and 2023. So they both have a chemistry they’ve developed before their Browns days.
It’s not just Johnson who has shown his confidence in Pickett, but the feelings are mutual. Back from their Steelers days, Pickett described Johnson as “a really smart player and he knows how much time he has to get open. He has the best stop-go ability I think I’ve ever seen. The way he can just put the brakes on at full speed and get in and out of cuts, no matter what DB that we’ve ever gone against this season.” This is a partnership formed through multiple reps and hours of conversation. We can’t wait for when Kenny is the one throwing to Johnson.
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