BEREA — Shedeur Sanders had his game face on well before practice.
“Nothing matters to me if it is not helping us win,” he said Saturday before Day 4 of training camp.
The focus didn’t waver even when his famous father, Deion, watched Thursday from the bleachers.
“It was good. I’m overall focused every day on the practice,” Shedeur said. “So the outside, nothing else really matters whenever I’m on the field. But whenever I’m off the field, of course, I’m excited that I seen my dad.”
Browns Shedeur Sanders on visit from dad, Deion, earlier in week. pic.twitter.com/CqNdxPw639
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 1, 2026
https://platform.x.com/widgets.js
Sanders talked for first time in camp. He and Deshaun Watson are alternating days with the first-team offense as they compete for the starting job, and Saturday belonged to Sanders.
“I just take a day at a time,” he said. “I focus on things I got to get better at, focus on the things I got to be more crisp at and understand the flaws that I have and keep improving that.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders to Quinshon Judkins. pic.twitter.com/snfEO917va
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 1, 2026
https://platform.x.com/widgets.js
He threw his first interception of camp Saturday when cornerback D’Angelo Ross won a deep jump ball with receiver Jerry Jeudy in a two-minute drill. But Sanders made plenty of good throws when he wasn’t under pressure from the pass rush. He made a gorgeous pass to rookie receiver Denzel Boston down the sideline, hit receiver Isaiah Bond in the corner for a red zone touchdown and found tight end Brenden Bates down the seam.
Sanders fell to the fifth round of the draft in 2025 before the Browns traded up to grab him. He didn’t play for the first half of the season, then started the final seven games, going 3-4.
Browns Shedeur Sanders on feeling more comfortable in Year 2, figuring himself out. pic.twitter.com/3al1zq5AYc
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 1, 2026
https://platform.x.com/widgets.js
He spent part of the offseason evaluating himself and his routine.
“I would say I pretty much figured myself out, figured out my routine, learned about myself way more, and I’m overall happy with the process,” he said. “If you’re consistent with anything, you’re going to be consistent with everything.”
Watson didn’t play last season after his Achilles ruptured twice but was in the meeting rooms and on the sideline and served as an adviser for Sanders. Watson has seen a Year 2 jump in his competition.
“He’s definitely improved. He’s grown a lot,” Watson said. “You can see within his fundamentals, his reads, being able to execute, call the plays. So you can tell he’s a lot more comfortable and that he’s been putting in the work to be able to be where he is right now.”
Andrew Berry says young roster not a ‘cop-out for expectation or performance’
While Sanders has embraced the coaching change from Kevin Stefanski to Todd Monken, it came with the challenge of learning a second offensive system in two years in the NFL. And Monken puts a lot of responsibility on the quarterback in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage.
“Of course, there are going to be good days, bad days. We always strive to have our best days every day,” Sanders said. “But I play better and feel better whenever I have all the information and I know exactly what’s going on at all times. So that’s why I just spend every minute, every hour of my time really focused on being the best quarterback I could be and being the best leader for this team I could be. That obviously translates because the more information I know, the more comfortable I am as a person.”
He, Watson and members of the offense got a jump on camp by training together last month in Miami.
“Any rep at any point in time is extremely important,” Sanders said. “Even the guys that weren’t able to make it, we talk about different things in the building and we work after practice on things. So every rep that we’re able to get with our guys truly, truly makes a difference and truly builds that trust and connection.”
Watson highlighted the off-field benefits.
“I think the biggest thing that has been carrying over is just the relationships that we’ve built,” he said. “The time, not just on the field, but off the field, hanging out, going to dinner and just being around each other has been great. You can see the chemistry and the bond between the team is really good.”
The fans watched practice for the first time Friday and were back Saturday. Sanders is extremely popular and spent time signing autographs.
“It feels amazing. I wouldn’t say that’s anything new, I would say it’s just new here,” he said. “I’m thankful that I am able to have a platform and that I’m an inspiration for a lot of people, but I wouldn’t say it’s super surprising. I think the work and everything that we’ve put in and overall how life is going so far, I think that’s just what comes with it, and I appreciate those relationships.
“Overall, it’s a great feeling, but right now I’m focused on practice, and this isn’t really helping us win games, so I’m not really interested.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders on great reception from fans Friday at practice. pic.twitter.com/HTK8UG9mJO
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) August 1, 2026
https://platform.x.com/widgets.js
