It’s only been three starts, but during the time Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been running the show in Cleveland, he has managed to make a significant impression. The team is 1-2 with him at the helm, but the offense has been much livelier, scoring 20.3 points per game, up from the 16.2 points it had averaged under Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. Sanders has been granted the rest of the season as the team’s starter, and the Browns will then determine where they’ll go after that.
Sanders will face some elements in Week 15 in Chicago, where frigid temperatures are expected, but he will also get a Bears defense that ranks 25th in points allowed and 27th in yardage, at 4,645 on the season. The Bears are opportunistic, though, with a league-high 18 interceptions, throwing up a big caution flag for Sanders.
But Sanders says things are beginning to come together for him, especially when it comes to the trust in teammates that is a requirement for NFL quarterbacks.
Shedeur Sanders: ‘That Ties Into Trust’
Sanders was asked on Wednesday about his footwork and about the praise he’s received from Browns coach Kevin Stefanski on his development in the pocket. That’s gone a long way toward making him comfortable, he said, and that’s improved as he has developed bonds with his teammates.
“Mentally, it’s ups and downs, it’s different things, but I’ll say consistently the same. I tend to stay and feel the same. You know, in college to now, I think footwork and I think all that ties into a lot,” Sanders said.
“That ties into trust, that ties into knowing where you guys are gonna be, that ties into everything. So that’s where you see the improvement, because we had that leap of faith this past week, with knowing that the receiver is going to be in the right places, looking everybody in the eyes, saying, ‘I’m going to be there, I got you’, building that foundation, building that trust.”
GettyCleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski
Browns Got 364 Yards Passing From Shedeur Sanders
Sanders said the more that trust develops with his Browns teammates, the better things will be. He did produce 364 yards passing in Week 14 against the Titans, albeit in a loss. Sanders also ran for 29 yards and a touchdown in the game.
“When I trust, then you get the best out of me, you get what I’m saying?” Sanders said.
“It’s hard for me as a player to not trust things and play my best. So, I’m just thankful that we built those relationships that quickly within the receiver room, and within the team in the O-line and everything, but we’re not content.”
Browns Seeing Key Development
One of the big developments for Sanders is gaining an understanding of when to throw the ball away and when to keep a play alive. That was a criticism of Sanders coming out of Colorado–that he holds the ball too long and could not survive in the NFL that way. But he showed improvement on that count while with the Buffaloes, and has done the same with the Browns.
Sanders was asked how he knows when to throw the ball away.
“How do I decide when?” he wondered. “I would say, like, whenever the play’s over. Sometimes you get in situations where you gotta understand the play’s over, and I’m improving in that. I had a little slip up last week for sure when knowing the play’s over. But, like, I don’t know – in those situations, sometimes it’s just like, I want to win so bad, I want to make something happen whenever we’re stagnant and stuff like that.
“So just learning … So, then I won’t negatively affect the team.”
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