“We all know this shouldn’t have happened. But we understand, we’re on to bigger and better things,” Deion Sanders spoke after the 2025 draft. His son, Shedeur Sanders, sat and watched as the Steelers and Giants passed on him that night. He was potentially going to be a first-rounder. However, the Browns ultimately selected him as the No. 144 pick. But even in his new home, the woes for the rookie didn’t end as his struggles continued at the Browns’ training camp. Shockingly, the NFL legend wasn’t in attendance. Coach Prime explained why he wasn’t there for Shedeur.

After all, he was present on the first day of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ training camp, where his other son and safety Shilo Sanders participated. Surprisingly, the reason behind Sanders’s absence from the Browns camp is that his son asked him not to attend. Shedeur’s struggles with the Browns are no secret. The Browns QB explained that he is only getting a few reps and didn’t feel like he is performing at the level he wants.

“He didn’t want me to come. He’s like, Dad, I’m gonna get three to four reps of practice. I don’t want you to see a man like. No, I’m not where I need to be. Let me get where I need to be.” He told his dad he’d rather wait until he’s more prepared or get more action before Coach Prime comes to watch. “It’s so funny because this is his first time. Man, yeah, and he’s dealing with it like a pro, like he ain’t mad, he ain’t bitter and he’s like ‘I got work to do, but I’m gonna put in this work,’” Michael Irving said.

Now, here’s the interesting part that may have enticed the NFL legend to agree. When will he finally be able to watch his son on the field as a pro? Shedeur seemingly had the answer. “One thing they’re gonna have to let me play preseason, gonna come to it, went preseason, come watch me work,” the elder Sanders repeated his son’s words proudly.

This must have been peaceful for the legend. The past few months have been quite tough for the Sanders household. Coach Prime had been away since spring to recover from his bladder cancer. Not to mention the unexpected slip from first-round potential. To add to that, young Sanders got into some off-field chaos. He received two speeding tickets in less than a month, which led to more criticism from fans and NFL experts.

Browns GM Andrew Berry called Sanders’s actions not very “smart.” The rookie later admitted that he had learned from his mistakes and wouldn’t repeat them.

On the field, even in a crowded QB room with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and rookie Dillon Gabriel, question marks continue to hang over Sanders’s position. And speaking of the training camp, Sanders wasn’t wrong. However, as Coach Prime said, his attitude and approach to this have been fascinating.

Shedeur Sanders remains unshakeable during tough times

Despite being limited to third- and fourth-team reps during his early days of Browns training camp, the rookie quarterback is maintaining his composure. He wasn’t frustrated when he explained that decisions about playing time are not in his control. “It doesn’t make me feel down or it doesn’t make me feel left out or anything, because I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as an individual, and I know what I could bring to this team,” he said.

The QBs have been getting more reps than that. Through 13 sets of 11-on-11s, Flacco has taken seven with the first team, Pickett five, and Gabriel one. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has not committed to giving Sanders any first-team reps but praised the rookie’s steady progress. “Yeah, I think Shedeur does a nice job of keeping the main thing, the main thing. He’s working hard and keeping his head down,” Stefanski said.

Sanders has acknowledged that working with the lower units gives him more time to absorb the playbook and learn in a way he didn’t at Jackson State or Colorado, where he started immediately under his father, Sanders. As per quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, who played with elder Sanders in 1994, Shedeur has made impressive strides in calling plays in the huddle and calling plays under center.

“The focus has got to be on the techniques, the five-step drop, the seven-step drop, being accurate with our throws. If we can focus on our trade, the external factors take a back seat, which is where they should remain,” Musgrave said.

While he is not unaware of the off-field drama or the criticism, his focus is evidently on claiming a position in the game.