Despite competing against each other for the starting job, Joe Flacco has enjoyed the presence of Shedeur Sanders in the Cleveland Browns quarterback room.
Flacco and Sanders are part of a four-man quarterback competition in Cleveland. Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett are also in the mix. Flacco was signed late in free agency, while Sanders was a fifth-round pick after a jarring draft slide.
Flacco is 17 years older than Sanders, and has a much bigger spotlight on him thanks to his social media following and hype from his time at Colorado. But Flacco is unfazed by the high-profile rookie.
“I don’t know if it has an impact on much, but Shedeur has been great,” Flacco said. “I mean he’s a lot of fun to be around in those meeting rooms and I think so far there’s been at least once in the meeting room that he’s made me crack a smile and that’s what it’s all about. He’s a young guy trying to learn some football and come out here and practice well and do those things. Like I said, he’s been a lot of fun.”
Shedeur Sanders Has Been Starstruck by Joe Flacco
Sanders has touted the camaraderie in the quarterback room, which also includes Deshaun Watson, who is recovering from an Achilles injury and is expected to miss most of next season. But he’s been especially struck by being teammates with Flacco.
“We’re all different characters. It’s funny going there and seeing Joe every day. It’s fun to see him because I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m really with Joe Flacco right now, we’re on the same team,'” Sanders said during an interview with Kay Adams at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere. “Then, of course, with Kenny, the experience he has being in the league for these years is cool just to see the process of it. And Deshaun, of course, he’s active in there, he’s in all the meetings, so it’s cool talking to him.”
Sanders also said the quarterback battle hasn’t caused any strain between the passers.
“Everybody’s cool,” Sanders said. “Outside the room, people try to pit us against each other, but inside the room, we know we’re one.”
Browns QB Joe Flacco Doesn’t See Himself as Mentor
Flacco is the oldest quarterback on the Browns’ depth chart by a wide margin, but he doesn’t necessarily view himself as a mentor. His focus remains on playing quality football and letting his experience speak for itself.
“I tend to try to be honest and I’ve said I’m not a mentor. I play football,” Flacco said. “And in a quarterback room, there’s been already a ton of times where there’s learning experiences, and I have a lot of experience, and I can talk on things, and hopefully they listen, but it’s not necessarily, like, my job to make sure they listen to me. And hopefully you have a really good relationship with the guys that are in the room, and you naturally want to do that.”
The Browns have kept quiet about who might be leading the quarterback competition. The signal-callers split reps during Wednesday’s OTA session, but head coach Kevin Stefanski cautioned against reading too much into who took snaps first.
