The drills ran like clockwork under a cloudless June sky. Coaches shouted, quarterbacks cycled through their reps, and cameras rolled. On the surface, Browns minicamp looked like an open competition. But the order told a different story. Joe Flacco led off. Kenny Pickett followed. Then Dillon Gabriel. Shedeur Sanders never got a turn with the starters. And for a fifth-round pick once touted for his upside, it raised real questions about where Sanders fits in Cleveland’s plans.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski says nothing’s been decided yet. But his words made it all murkier. “There’s definitely a point in July and August where our mentality will shift,” he said about making it clear who will be the chosen QB1 for the team. And he hinted that the “real-time” performances will decide who takes the throne. But what we witness at the minicamp practices does make it clear.
After attending the Browns minicamp, Spencer German, host of Locked On Browns, joined the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show to share his observations. There was no uncertainty in his report. It was an outright acknowledgement that Sanders is at the bottom of Kevin Stefanski’s already established quarterback hierarchy.
On The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, Spencer German discussed his minicamp takeaways. He was questioned about a problem that had been bothering both fans and analysts: every quarterback on the Browns roster had taken first-team reps this offseason, except Shedeur Sanders. German’s answer? Brutally honest. “I just think right now, they view him as somebody…like I think he has things he’s working on. And I think they view him as the guy who is the 4th man on this depth chart.” And it wasn’t just a small mistake, now that the entire program is complete. It looks deliberate. Why has Sanders not received a single snap with the starters? According to German, this isn’t a rotational fluke.
Syndication: Akron Beacon Journal Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders 12 watches quarterback Dillon Gabriel 5 during day two of NFL rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. Akron , EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJeffxLangex USATSI_26143965
Weeks after choosing Dillon Gabriel in the third round, the Cleveland Browns selected Sanders in the fifth round, assuming that both rookies would compete for developmental snaps behind seasoned alternatives. But minicamp optics paint a different picture. With Joe Flacco at the top, Kenny Pickett and Gabriel sharing developmental repetitions, and Sanders as the odd man out, Stefanski and the Browns coaching staff have a clear quarterback hierarchy in place.
German confirmed it, “Thursday ended up being more about getting Joe Flacco look and actually giving him a chance to sort of throw with these guys before they broke for summer…I think they sort of showcased – their hand maybe more yesterday in terms of how they feel about these guys.” And this is all despite Sanders showing several glimpses during OTAs, including a nearly flawless 7-of-9 performance with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
German continued, “Where Flacco was first up, Pickett was next up, then Gabriel, then Shedeur. And that is how I sort of leave camp feeling like they at least view the depth chart of this team.” And when you compare Shedeur Sanders’ reps to his actual performance, the reality becomes even more startling. During Day 2 of OTAs, he was outstanding. He duplicated the feat of three touchdown passes in limited action during a subsequent practice. There’s talent. But opportunity? Nowhere to be found. So, Sanders may be ready to climb, but he’s not being handed the ladder. Other analysts share the same sentiment.
Jeremy Fowler pushes Stefanski to end QB shuffle
Cleveland’s coaching staff is currently facing a quarterback stalemate that cannot be allowed to continue unchecked, according to NFL source Jeremy Fowler. Stefanski’s OTA and minicamp strategy was straightforward: give everyone a shot, Fowler said during an appearance on SportsCenter. Let the rotation breathe.
But Fowler claims that the phase is over.“They all really answered the bell, including Sanders,” highlighting the rookie’s assertiveness and readiness to test tight windows. “So they like where he sits.”
The fifth-rounder may not be Stefanski’s first choice, but he’s refused to be ignored. Sanders, according to Fowler, “threw with aggressiveness” and was commended for putting the ball in tight spots, which are throws that demonstrate fearlessness. That assessment is significant because it shows that Sanders is making the staff take notes, even with limited reps.
And that’s where Fowler draws a line. He thinks the Browns must now create a solid depth chart and abandon the floating experiment. No more ambiguous rotations. Fowler underlined that, “Stefanski has to formulate a plan in training camp that’s probably a little more crystallized, maybe has a little bit of a depth chart to it. They are not there yet, but Sanders has made an impression, no doubt.” In other words, the longer Stefanski waits, the messier it gets. The Browns started this summer with flexibility. But with Gabriel skipping the line and Shedeur breaking expectations — all while Flacco looms and Pickett holds on — what Stefanski needs now isn’t more tape. It’s clarity.
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