The Cleveland Browns brought in an impressive 2025 rookie class that is already paying dividends on both sides of the ball, and the development of some of these potential young stars has been an exciting subplot in what has been a lackluster 1-4 season up to this point.
Rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel took over as the starting quarterback in Week 5 and delivered a mistake-free performance with a pair of touchdowns, but offensive coordinator Tommy Rees recently shed some light on another rookie on offense who is showing “constant improvement” as well.
ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi shared a quote from Rees discussing fellow rookie QB Shedeur Sanders, who is in the mix for the backup role now that Joe Flacco has been traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, and the OC is pleased with how things are going for Sanders.
“For Shedeur, we’re looking for constant improvement during the season, and we’ve seen that,” Rees said of Sanders.
OC Tommy Rees on Shedeur Sanders: 'For Shedeur, we're looking for constant improvement during the season, and we've seen that.'
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) October 9, 2025
There is a loud contingent of NFL fans who believe the Browns are setting Sanders up to fail and should have started him immediately, but it’s clear that wouldn’t have done anybody any good.
A player with a Hall of Fame bloodline will always come with a lot of media baggage, but Sanders has handled it well and, by all accounts, is taking his opportunities in stride and working to get better every day behind the scenes so he is ready if and when his number is called.
It’s possible the Browns will want to get a look at Sanders ahead of the 2026 draft to determine if either he or Gabriel is capable of being this organization’s next franchise QB, but with how poised Gabriel has looked so far, that might not happen anytime soon.
All Sanders can do is keep working in silence, and it’s encouraging that the coaching staff is behind him and sees improvement already.
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