Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders contends that the culture is changing around the much-maligned NFL franchise in Northeast Ohio, but that media members need to do their part to facilitate and sustain the transformation to a more positive atmosphere that is conducive to on-field success.
His words came in response to a question from a reporter on Tuesday, April 21 about the arrival of new head coach Todd Monken earlier this year, formerly the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens over the past three seasons.
“It’s a new vibe. It’s a new energy. The only thing we missing is y’all. We need y’all to have a new vibe, new energy,” Sanders said. “I know y’all want us to win, so we need some winning energy here.”
“We can’t have too much negativity going on and, you know, you want our players to be the best version of ourselves for y’all,” he continued. “I think it’s a community thing. … So let’s approach even this, like, with a better attitude. Even coming from y’all also.”
Shedeur Sanders Will Compete Against Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel for Starting QB Role
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders enters this offseason following a year in which he appeared in the final eight games for the Browns, starting the last seven of them.
He threw for 1,400 yards, seven TDs and 10 INTs at a 56.6 percent completion rate across that span. Sanders also rushed the football for 169 yards and one touchdown.
While Sanders speaks as though the QB1 role is his to lose, he faces competition for that spot from both three-time Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson and fellow 2025 pick Dillon Gabriel.
“[Watson is] a vet. He did a lot. He accomplished a lot in his career, obviously,” Sanders said. “So when I have questions about certain things, I ask him, like, ‘What you think about this?’ And I just like hearing his perspective of problems that I could have or the way how I think about things.”
“Hearing the way how [Watson] thinks of things and hearing the way how Dillon think of things and hearing the way coach think of things,” Sanders continued. “Like, all those things, you just gain other people’s perspective to form your own thought and what you want to do.”
Browns Unlikely to Add Strong Competition to QB Room During NFL Draft
GettyCleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken.
The Browns own two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 24), as well as a second-round selection (No. 39) in Thursday’s NFL draft. However, it doesn’t appear likely that Cleveland will pursue a rookie QB capable of challenging Sanders, Watson and Gabriel for the starting job in 2026.
The Las Vegas Raiders are almost certainly going to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall, leaving Ty Simpson of Alabama as the only signal-caller in the class with a chance to go in Round 1. Cleveland could be a player for Simpson, but reports don’t indicate that roughly 48 hours before the draft begins.
That doesn’t mean Monken won’t take a flier on a player he likes later in the proceedings, as Cleveland holds the rights to nine total selections and could accumulate more if it makes a first-round trade, which many analysts expect the Browns may do.
That said, it is more likely that Monken and general manager Andrew Berry focus on continuing to rebuild the offense around the QB position and reevaluate in 2027 as to whether they want to bring in competition by way of the draft, a trade or free agency.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Calls Out NFL Media at Minicamp