Shedeur Sanders continued to split first-team reps with veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson during the Cleveland Browns’ first week of training camp. Sanders finished his rookie season as the Browns’ QB1 and is currently engaged in a fierce battle to retain that status after Watson returned from a re-ruptured Achilles tendon that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.
Colin Cowherd Didn’t Like Deion Sanders Visiting Browns’ Training Camp
Last week, the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback was visited by his father, Deion Sanders, during the Browns’ training camp. Coach Prime interacted with his son, coach Todd Monken, and general manager Andrew Berry.
During Sunday’s segment of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast,” analyst Colin Cowherd revealed that NFL sources blamed Coach Prime for his son’s stunning slide during the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I don’t think any reasonable person can deny what I’m about to say: Deion Sanders hurt his son, Shedeur, in the draft process,” Cowherd said. “I was told that by people I’ve been talking to for 20 years in the NFL. That position, that behavior, kind of arrogantly dismissing certain organizations, the ones who are bad that wanted to draft you. The other day I saw Deion on the practice field and I thought, ‘Oh, God, Deion. You have no self-awareness.'”
“It’s not gonna affect him now, because I really do think Shedeur was significantly underdrafted,” Cowherd added. “At worst, he was a second or two late to me… But I watched like 10 of his college games, he holds the ball too long. He did that in college; he does it in the pros, and that may be the deal-breaker. But he’s accurate, he moves okay. He’s a risk-taker; I don’t think he’s a great franchise guy.”
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
After a stellar season for the Buffaloes in 2024, Shedeur and Travis Hunter were expected to be top-10 picks during the draft. While Hunter was selected No. 2 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shedeur experienced one of the most shocking draft slides in recent memory, falling to the fifth round and No. 144 overall.
Some analysts blamed his father’s pre-draft comments about his son’s ultimate destination for the quarterback’s precipitous slide. Cowherd further blasted the Colorado coach for interfering in Shedeur’s professional career by attending a Browns’ training session.
“But when I saw Deion on the field, I don’t think Peyton Manning’s gonna be on the field, or Eli [Manning], when Arch gets drafted next year,” Cowherd said. “I just thought, ‘God, Deion. Go, coach Colorado,’ I just thought, ‘Get out of this kid’s way.'”
He continued, “LeBron James likes to play with Bronny, but he’s not getting in the way of him. He’s separated, like J.J. (Reddick) is gonna play him when he wants to play him.”
After climbing up the depth chart in Cleveland last season, Shedeur led the Browns to a 3-4 record as a starter. He earned a PFN QB Impact score of 63.0 after tallying 1,400 passing yards on 56.6% completion, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
