BEREA, Ohio — Shedeur Sanders didn’t hesitate to answer where he’s grown the most since he tumbled to the Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
2 to the Browns, Sanders has relied on his faith and his family to cope with a precipitous fall that may have broken a weaker player.
“He’s seen it, he’s played it and he’s a pro,” Sanders said.
I’m focused on the small things and over time the big things will happen.” The beautiful thing for Sanders is that he’s back playing football, and it’s all he’s ever known.
“It’s grass, it’s fresh grass, you hear the birds outside, you understand what peace is at this point in life.
BEREA, Ohio — After losing to the Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders readily responded to the question of where he has developed the most.
He remarked, “I would say spiritually.”. I would say that’s where I’ve developed the most. Following the draft, developing a genuine relationship with God, growing closer to him, and speaking to him frequently. I say that’s where I’ve developed the most. “.”.
Initially, it was predicted to reach as high as No. To deal with a sudden decline that might have broken a weaker player, Sanders has turned to his family and his faith in the wake of the Browns’ 2 loss. Similar to his well-known father and coach, Deion, Sanders was a devout man who relied on his faith to keep him centered before the draft and to maintain his constant smile following the worst quarterback freefall in NFL draft history.
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On the eve of Monday’s mandatory minicamp, he felt the need for additional spiritual rejuvenation because he had a lot on his mind and a lot of outside noise going on, including the expectations of many in the national media that Sanders would emerge from fourth-string quarterback to win the starting position on opening day.
A 23-year-old rookie might be shaken by the pressure from QB4 to QB1 if the setup to drop from the first round to the fifth wasn’t enough. Though they are tough by nature, the Sanders experience the same pain and suffering as everyone else.
Following the first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Sanders stated at his podium press conference, “I always know when God’s talking to me.”. Since you’re most vulnerable when you’re sleeping, I tweeted something on Monday night, if any of you can see. That’s when I really started to get bad. During that time, God spoke to me. And I can identify that because it was the same thing prior to Pro Day. That’s how I can tell if I’m on course. That’s how I realize that everything happened for a reason and that I’m living my life in purpose. “”.
Sanders had a startling spiritual experience in the middle of the night while he was by himself in his team hotel room thinking.
He stated, “I had to sleep with my flashlight on (Monday) night after receiving a message that night.”. “I’m afraid, so I slept with my flashlight on last night. I’m not.”. “”.
He reached for his phone at 1:57 a.m. I wrote on X, “It’s a spiritual war going on,” the night before his first NFL minicamp. Place your faith in God. “.”.
He graciously went into further detail about the very powerful, very personal event.
“I was in my hotel room,” he stated. Yesterday, I discussed my mission and everything here with a few pastors. I will say that I understand what peace is and that there is a lot going on. I know I’m taking a break and heading home so I can just enjoy the small things in life, like listening to the birds and feeling the wind. It’s something you now cherish. I cherish it. The most important thing, then, was listening to him and comprehending the message he conveyed to me yesterday. “.”.
Sanders is dealing with the illness of his beloved father in addition to his well-publicized draft slide and the heavy pressure to rise from the ashes and prove everyone wrong. Sanders has been close to his father since birth and has spent nearly every day with him. Deion has been his coach throughout his career, including during his time in school and college. Sanders has been coached by Deion since he first held a football as a child.
Sanders is here to learn a new playbook, learn how to call plays in a huddle, get to know his teammates, and be away from his family, but his father is in Texas, dealing with an unidentified illness that has caused him to lose 14 pounds, as he revealed to Asante Samuel last week in a podcast, and will be temporarily away from the Colorado Buffaloes. In the podcast, Deion disclosed that the issues he is currently facing are “at a whole other level.”. “”.
Deion has previously struggled with a significant health issue in recent years. Due to blood clots from a prior surgery, he had two of his left foot’s toes amputated in 2021. He had surgery in 2023 to remove blood clots from both of his legs.
Deion’s oldest son, Deion Jr., spoke on Sunday from their Texas home. declared during a YouTube livestream that his father is “feeling well” but that he is unsure of when he will return to the Buffaloes.
“I’m not sure,” Deion Jr. said when we returned to Boulder. said. . “Until my dad leaves, I’m waiting. I’ll go after he leaves. I’m going to sit here with him until then. “”.
Shedeur, who is totally focused on becoming the best quarterback he can be, refused to discuss how his father’s health might be affecting him as he competes against Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Joe Flacco in this four-way quarterback competition.
Sanders remarked, “I have no idea what’s going on.”. I’m not here to discuss Pops, then. My role here is to be the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback. I am committed to mastering this playbook and doing everything in my power to become the best quarterback and teammate I can be. I really don’t have any opinions or thoughts about anything other than this game. “”.
During rookie minicamp last month, Sanders was questioned about how he has managed to maintain his positive attitude in the face of his draft-day setback. He mentioned his dad’s health problems at that point, but he didn’t go into detail.
At that time, he said, “You just need to take a step back and look at life, like, you’re in a great situation overall that you’re able to be healthy.”. “You value life and opportunity and simply wake up every day in a different way, even with my brother’s injury (arm surgery in 2024), my dad, and the rest of the family.”. That’s one of the reasons I can’t be really phased by anything, no matter what, in any situation.
It’s similar to playing quarterback. You may not have scored the entire game or anything, but you can’t be emotional when the game reaches the last two minutes and extra time is about to start. You can’t be depressed over anything. You have another opportunity. “”.
On Tuesday, Sanders was so in the zone that he explained why it’s so easy for him to transition from the highly regarded Colorado starting quarterback to the Browns’ fourth teamer.
“I’m handling it really well,” he declared. It’s a mentality all around. It’s not mental. There are many people in their own lives who are in circumstances that may not be at the forefront, but you have to know that there will be good times in the future, whenever the time comes. You simply need to be ready at all times and accept it as a learning experience. “.”.
He also feels even more grateful for everything he has because of what has happened in the last few months.
He stated that in order to comprehend the message that God is trying to convey to you, you must experience various things in life. Just being able to come out here, toss the ball around, and simply be able to step onto the field makes me much more thankful. Off the field, everything is what it is. But you are aware of who I am, and everyone knows when it’s time to get on that grass. “”.
In modified 7-on-7s on Tuesday, Sanders once again played as the fourth-team quarterback, throwing a deep touchdown pass to undrafted rookie Gage Larvadain. It was just one of Sanders’ many excellent passes; he is improving greatly in response to the Browns’ requests thus far. He was given the second set of 11-of-11s on Tuesday after Gabriel, finishing with a 12-yard out to rookie Luke Floriea, but he isn’t getting work with the starters yet like the other three. He will eventually get those reps with David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy if he keeps improving.
“Every day, I realize that I can get better in a lot of different areas of my game,” he said. Therefore, I would say that I never feel satisfied. I would say that I’m constantly hungry, and there are many things in football that you could improve on. There’s always room for improvement. Even though I feel like I worked hard during the day, I know I’m still a long way from where I want to be. “”.
Sanders and Flacco, who is 41 years old and nearly old enough to be his father, have gotten along well over the past few weeks. Flacco was only a few years away from playing with Deion in Baltimore. When Sanders showed Flacco a dance move and asked if he could hit it, he managed to make the occasionally stiff Flacco laugh. Flacco said, mic’d up, that he had never performed a dance move in public before.
Every day I see Joe, I joke with him because he’s the older person in the room,” Sanders remarked. Even though I can’t tell you all of my jokes, they’re all real when you see them or hear them on camera. Following the spur of the moment, it’s time to lock back in. Our minds are continuously and reliably active. “”.
In order to reduce the number of sacks he took at Colorado—an FBS-high 94 in his two seasons—he has asked Flacco to help speed up reads. That’s the no. To get on the field here, he needs to fix one thing.
Sanders claimed, “He’s seen it, he’s played it, and he’s a pro.”. If I didn’t learn from someone who has achieved success over the years, I would be foolish and foolish. “”.
He is releasing the ball a bit faster every day.
“It’s really crucial,” he stated. In college, I took a lot of sacks, so I understand how that affects your body. There is a completely different kind of confidence you project when you are well-versed in everything. That’s definitely where I’m headed. By the time training camp rolls around, I should be there. “”.
Sanders is handling it well, even though he occasionally works alone on the other field to catch up or doesn’t work with the ones yet.
“It’s just an adjustment, a mindset,” he stated. “You must comprehend the circumstances you find yourself in and be able to make the most of them. Life simply depends on your perspective on various issues. When it’s your time to go out there, you can either see it negatively by not getting reps or positively by saying, “Okay, let’s be proactive and let’s get warm, let’s get going so there’s no excuses.”. It doesn’t matter how many reps you have when you’re out there. Production is important to everyone. “”.
Regarding how quickly the Browns are developing him, Sanders also has a great attitude. He is okay with the fact that he must first walk through this system in order to run.
“I want to be as positive as I can be and be the best teammate,” he stated. “I see things as having time in every way. I have time to develop, mature, and learn the ins and outs of the defenses. I can also gain valuable insight from the seasoned professionals present. I therefore see it as a plus.
However, I’m not worrying too much about all of that in the future. Every day in practice, I’m looking around. I had some misses out there today, so we need to go in and fix the reads and get in and out drops from under center a little quicker. That, then, is the key. The big things will happen in due time, so I’m concentrating on the little things. “”.
The good news for Sanders is that he is back playing football, which is his entire life.
As he put it, “I feel like I’m back in my element.”. It’s grass, fresh grass, you can hear the birds outside, and you know what peace is right now. I am now back in my element. I’m thrilled to be present. “.”.
Even though they occasionally have to remain on at night, the lights are undoubtedly turning on.
