Over the weekend, second-year Cleveland Browns
quarterback Shedeur Sanders said that he felt “it was extremely important” that he and veteran signal-caller Deshaun Watson co-hosted a passing camp for teammates in Miami this past week amid the NFL’s ongoing summer break.
Sanders also discussed his relationship with Watson amid the competition for the team’s QB1 job.
Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson are “trying to be the best version of ourselves we could be”
“It’s the same thing that we’ve been saying from Day 1,” Sanders explained, per Scott Petrak of BrownsZone. “We’re both trying to be the best version of ourselves we could be. So we’re not going to let anything get in between of that. So it’s a level of respect that we all in the quarterback room have for each other. And we’re not really emotional when it comes to things that we can’t control. We mainly focus on and thrive on getting better in the work every day. So if I like something he’s doing, I ask. If he likes something I do, then (he) ask. It’s conversation, and that’s what’s most effective.”
Previously, concerns were raised that Watson and Sanders could hold competing or separate passing camps before veteran Browns players are due to report for training camp on July 28. That proved to not be the case, and it seems like the two quarterbacks are positively pushing each other this summer.
“Be the best person I could be, whether that’s on the field, off the field, in the community, spiritually, emotionally, everything,” Sanders said about his mindset ahead of training camp. “I just try to be the best.”
How things are different for Shedeur Sanders after first season
At this time last year, former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski had Sanders buried on the depth chart. While Watson reportedly will enter training camp with a lead in the quarterback battle, Sanders allegedly isn’t far behind.
“It’s just a different space that we’re all in,” Sanders added about what has changed with new head coach Todd Monken leading the Browns. “As a team, as individuals, we all feel more confident in ourselves, and that’s kind of what we thrive on. You’ve got to earn the respect of your teammates and everything. You just can’t come in and dictate. That’s not a form of respect in the locker room, and we understand that. So it just took time and a lot of relationships and to keep players to be able to get on the same page and be able to do it. And it doesn’t feel forced.”
Barring a surprising development, both Sanders and Watson should play when Cleveland opens the preseason with a game at the Chicago Bears on Aug. 15.