Andrew Berry confirms Shedeur Sanders will have a chance at Browns' starting job

It took longer than anyone was expecting to hear Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders get drafted. Eventually, the call came, though, and Sanders became a fifth round pick of the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland now has a very full quarterback room, with five players who will battle for playing time. That is going to include Sanders himself, as following the NFL Draft, general manager Andrew Berry confirmed that he will have a chance at the starting job.

“We expect every player to compete,” Berry said. “Simple as that.”

It’s certainly a full quarterback room in Cleveland that Shedeur Sanders will compete in, with five quarterbacks currently filling out the roster. That includes Deshaun Watson, who has struggled to live up to the five-year and $230 million deal he signed in 2022. Veteran Joe Flacco and former first round pick Kenny Pickett also have starting NFL experience. On top of that, Dillon Gabriel was also selected by the Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, going ahead of Sanders.

Going into the NFL Draft, many experts thought that Sanders was going to be a first round pick and potentially compete to be a starter as a rookie. However, those expectations entering the NFL Draft aren’t always what’s expected of a fifth round pick. Still, the Browns need to find their starter moving forward.

Last season, Cleveland went just 3-14. It was by far the worst finish for the Browns under head coach Kevin Stefanski and came just one year removed from making the playoffs. It was also a season that saw four different quarterbacks start games for the Browns, though only Watson remains on the roster among those four starters. He, himself, started seven games.

Mel Kiper passionately defends Shedeur Sanders’ character

Much was made about the reasons why Shedeur Sanders may have slid in the NFL Draft. One of those was reported concerns about how he came across to teams in the pre-draft process and other character concerns. However, ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. passionately pushed back on those concerns.

“You talk about cocky or confident, arrogant or charismatic, OK? Leadership. There’s not going to be a show. There’s not going to be a circus with Shedeur Sanders. Deion Sanders was one of the hardest working players in the history of this game. He brought with him a great work ethic. He was loved in every locker room,” Kiper said.

“Shedeur Sanders will be the same thing. He will galvanize… I don’t know what people are thinking is going to happen when Shedeur Sanders is part of football team. He said he’s going to work, the players are going to rally around him, he’s going to be a hell of a quarterback in his league, and he will cause a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of anguish.”

In the end, Sanders landed with an NFL team and will be given an opportunity. Now, he just has to make the most of it.