Shedeur Sanders seems to be enjoying the “new vibe” and “new energy” that new Browns head coach Todd Monken and his staff brought to the first practice of the team’s three-day voluntary veteran minicamp.
The 144th overall pick in last year’s draft was on the field Tuesday and first up for team drills while splitting reps with Deshaun Watson, ESPN reported.
Monken is headed into his first year as head coach in Cleveland after he replaced Kevin Stefanski during the offseason.
“Coach Monken’s great and all the other coaches on the staff are extremely great,” Sanders told reporters on Tuesday. “They’re going to understand and embrace you just as a person, and then they push you each and every day in the meeting room, on the field, in the weight room. It’s a new vibe, a new energy.”
Sanders is coming off a 2025 season in which he ended up in the starting role as the campaign progressed and posted a 3-4 record as a No. 1.
He’ll have plenty of competition this upcoming season with Watson back after not playing in 2025 and Dillon Gabriel, who started six games last season as a rookie after being taken in the third round.
Sanders, the son of NFL legend and Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, was working out in Cleveland for most of the offseason and creating a connection with Monken.
“I think coach just spoke life into me,” Sanders said. “And then when you do that, you just get the best result for me, honestly.”
Sanders completed 120 passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first taste of pro football, helping the Browns to wins over the Bengals, Steelers and Raiders.
Cleveland finished the 2025 season with a 5-12 record.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
