Standing at the podium after practice on April 21, Shedeur Sanders shared his mindset. “Bulletproof” is the word he used to describe himself as he gets ready for Year 2 as the Cleveland Browns QB. Now that’s not something you usually hear from someone who went from draft-day heartbreak to a legitimate QB1 conversation in less than 12 months. But the Sanders have never been short of confidence, including his dad Deion Sanders.  

When his son stamped his identity during a post-practice interview, Deion Sanders made sure he let his circle hear it. Posting Shedeur Sanders’ media session, he added a proud and confident caption.

“Lawd JESUS we just got back started & how u gon tell us who we are? That’s a Sanders you’re talking to baby,” he wrote. 

That was a message that came in response to what Shedeur had just laid out earlier. In the clip that Deion Sanders posted, the QB didn’t flinch when a reporter tried to frame the question around his fall, from being “the man” at Colorado and Jackson State to starting from scratch in Cleveland.

“I feel like I was a man,” he replied. “I don’t let nobody else dictate how I feel about myself… And if I allow that, then I’m not mentally strong. I got to be able to be mentally strong in each and every situation that life throws at you.”

Questions never vanished because of the success Shedeur Sanders had in college that didn’t translate to the NFL. Just a year ago, he was sliding down draft boards from first-round buzz turned into second-round hope, then into a fifth-round reality. Cleveland picked him up at No. 144 and placed him in a crowded room with minimal expectations. But now, he’s taking first-team reps on Day 1 of voluntary minicamp.

The narrative around Shedeur Sanders hasn’t been kind after a rookie season where he completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards. He made seven scores but that was overshadowed by 10 interceptions as he finished near the bottom of QB impact metrics. Once a star at Colorado, he spent most of last season buried on the depth chart before finally getting his shot.

And it’s probably the only way this version of Shedeur Sanders exists, who’s now staring down a QB room that includes Deshaun Watson with a contract and Dillon Gabriel with his dual-threat value. But he also has reps, scars, and momentum now after running with the ones on the first day of minicamp. 

“Now I feel bulletproof,” he said as he looked forward with gratitude for everything that happened. “I’m thankful that everything happened how it happened. I’m thankful that my appreciation for a lot of things is what it is now. I’m thankful that I don’t really have to chase. I’m thankful that I got a great family. … I think I’m just grateful overall.”

Now, it’s to new beginnings with a new coach who might have given Shedeur Sanders big goals to prepare for. 

A new version of Shedeur Sanders under a new coach 

The Browns reset the offseason right from the top with the dismissal of head coach Kevin Stefanski. In his place, there’s Todd Monken now. And if you ask Shedeur Sanders, the difference is already showing.

“A lot of new energy,” he said. “A lot of great new players we have and I’m loving what we’re doing… I was in practice a little more. Honestly it’s just the vibe, the overall feeling just of the team. The overall feeling of the responsibility of our players… Coach [Monken] just spoke life into me.”

But the real tell came when Shedeur Sanders talked about learning and how it’s being delivered now.

“You could say somebody doesn’t know how to learn but how did that person get all the way to this level if you don’t know how to learn?” he added. “So then you have to change the perspective and think, ‘Does he not know how to learn’ – oh mic drop – but ‘does he not know how to learn? Or do I not know how to communicate?’… I’m thankful now my coaches are extremely embracing.”

And here’s where Deion Sanders entered the picture again. When the video of that moment made its rounds, he shared it again without a caption this time. He didn’t need to say more because the message was already baked into his son’s words. That’s always been the pattern. When the noise gets louder, Deion amplifies his son instead.

And maybe that’s why Shedeur sounds the way he does right now because his “bulletproof” comment comes from surviving and learning through hard times. If he truly believes he has nothing to lose, then this could become a takeover attempt.