Before the 2025 NFL season has even begun, the Cleveland Browns have already been forced to address Shedeur Sanders’ behavior away from the field.
The quarterback suffered a humiliating slide in the NFL Draft in April, tumbling down into the fifth round amid general managers’ reported fears over his maturity.
And the 23-year-old, who was eventually taken by the Browns with the 144th overall pick, may have already proven those concerns to be valid.
The signal caller, who is the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, has already picked up two speeding tickets this offseason.
GM Andrew Berry addressed the issue as training camp kicked off this week, admitting it wasn’t a good luck for the Colorado Buffaloes product.
‘Not smart. Just not smart,’ Berry told reporters. ‘It’s something that we’ve addressed with him. Look, he understands the implications, he understands the consequences. It’s not just about yourself. It’s not just about having a joyride, but that you could injure other people. … A deer or something cuts in front of you, your reaction time, it’s just dangerous.’
Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders was hit with two speeding tickets last month
Browns GM Andrew Berry (pictured left head coach Kevin Stefanski) addressed the issue
Last month, Shedeur was ticketed for driving 91mph in a 65mph zone and 101mph in a 60mph zone. And it was that second violation that led to the revelation of the first, as well as a missed court appearance.
Many NFL observers considered the former Colorado quarterback to be a nailed-on first round pick at the Draft this year – some even said he should be the first pick.
But after a tumultuous run-up to the event, where multiple teams took a dislike to Sanders’ attitude, he slid all the way down to the fifth round before the Browns put him out of his misery by taking him with the 144th pick.
Fast forward to July and, as one of four quarterbacks on the roster – and the one ranked fourth on the depth chart – he has been a peripheral figure in the early days of Browns camp.
‘I’m not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is,’ Sanders said about practicing with the third and fourth team this week.
‘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.’
Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett have mainly split first team reps between them while Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick at quarterback in the draft, also had one 11-on-11 drill.
Who will start at signal caller for the first game against Cincinnati Bengals on September 7 is uncertain but Sanders has acknowledged that it is unlikely to be him.
‘I know whenever I get my opportunity, I’ve got to maximize it,’ he said. ‘I just got to think about what I could do to get better even if I´m not getting reps.’
