There is a saying in sports that says, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” and that wisdom lives in NFL locker rooms every August. But for Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns’ rookie signal-caller with a blue-chip college pedigree, the chance is a little complicated. Reports say Sanders was zipping precision darts at camp, including three touchdowns on July 26 and a flawless 9-for-9 padded practice, but every time he flashes, a new roadblock pops up. Browns fans are left wondering: is it just shoulder soreness, or a much heavier story at play?

With a depth chart as crowded as Cleveland’s, every snap matters. QB1 Joe Flacco brings the veteran gravitas, Kenny Pickett (now hamstrung) was expected to give chase, and rookie Dillon Gabriel leapfrogged Sanders in early depth meetings. Sanders, picked 50 slots later in the fifth round, comes in as a “fifth-round flier,” the type most franchises stash and maybe cycle through by roster cutdown day. Insiders note he’s fighting for reps against not just rookies but a franchise history littered with abandoned quarterback projects. The pressure’s not just on Sanders; it hovers over the team like Lake Erie mist, especially with trade and cut rumors swirling daily.

The most recent absence of Shedeur Sanders displays the cautious approach of the Browns. That pressure turned surgical on August 2 when Adam Schefter broke the news: Sanders is being kept out of team drills with shoulder soreness. Stefanski’s staff says it’s precautionary and “not considered a severe injury,” per official word, but the subtext is thick. By holding Sanders out, the Browns are signaling a long-term play: protect the arm, limit short-term risk, and perhaps, given Cleveland’s two-decade quarterback tumble, avoid another lost season via rookie mishap. In a room where even practice reps are gold, Sanders’ absence is a storyline no one can ignore. “His absence may limit opportunities to impress coaches before preseason evaluations begin,” Schefter reported, summing up the stakes in Berea as Sanders’ path to first-team action shrinks.

Sanders’ NFL upside has never been in doubt, with his 70% completion rate through team drills, zero camp picks, and whisper-quiet work ethic are winning fans for the right reasons. Teammates call his throws “threaded,” and new arrival Diontae Johnson went viral grinning after a red-zone dime. Yet, for all his talent, Sanders remains buried on the chart, and as he told Browns legend Bernie Kosar, “It’s a consistent battle, but I feel like I’m handling everything the way I’m supposed to. Just being a normal human… Everything is just genuinely how I am.” Coaches give him high marks for professionalism, but the clock ticks louder as roster cuts loom—especially for a team likely to roll the dice on yet another “franchise QB” in next year’s draft.

Deion’s heartbreak deepens as Shedeur Sanders faces Browns’ quarterback chaos

While Shedeur deals with soreness and blocked opportunity despite a recent role change, his father, Deion Sanders’ voice, hangs over Cleveland in a different way. The Hall of Famer, fresh off his own health battle and now minus his son in Boulder, admitted, “I’m healed from cancer, but I’m not healed from [the draft slide] yet… Like it’s heavy. Yeah, I’m really heavy right now.” Many in the league agree but it still doesn’t sit right that Sanders, lauded for his college command, tumbled to the fifth round, only to join a franchise infamous for QB chaos. Speculation swirls about owner Jimmy Haslam’s hand in the pick, rumors of internal rifts in the front office, and whispers that the Browns are already eyeing Texas’ Arch Manning for 2026. “That kind of fractured leadership only adds to the perception that Cleveland remains a chaotic and poorly run organization,” wrote one analyst, echoing decades of local frustration.

In the end, it’s an open question whether Sanders ever gets a fair shot in Cleveland. Reports trickling out of camp describe a rookie so starved for reps he’s occasionally forced to throw to staffers, not teammates. Coaches say the right things about “development,” but just as often, Shedeur is painted as a long-term project, possibly destined for another city after roster cuts. No wonder Browns faithful jitter about this circus repeating; the track record is unforgiving, and so is the AFC North.

Just like that first impression fable, the Browns may never get another chance at doing right by Shedeur Sanders. The next few weeks will reveal if caution and dysfunction once again swallow a promising arm or if, against the odds, Sanders finds daylight in Cleveland’s perennial quarterback fog.