Deion Sanders Issues Blunt Statement on Replacing Shedeur

Deion Sanders is confident his Colorado Buffaloes will be a better team this year following the departures of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

Colorado finished last season 9-4, narrowly missing a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. This spring, the program retired the jersey numbers of Sanders and Hunter, a nod to their legacy during their two seasons in Boulder.

Despite their departures, Coach Prime believes the 2025 roster is deeper and more complete.

“They were great players. We have a better team,” Sanders said. “There’s a difference between great players and a great team. We have a better team, but we can never replace those types of players. It may take three players on offense to replace a Travis Hunter. It may take two players to replace a Shedeur Sanders. And that’s what we brought here.”

Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and incoming freshman phenom Julian “JuJu” Lewis are battling for the starting quarterback role. Sanders hasn’t named a starter, but praised both options.

“Kaidon is off the chain. He’s been there, done that. He can get the job done. I wouldn’t have brought him here if I didn’t trust him,” Sanders said. “But JuJu is coming around the mountain when he comes. And I love him. I love what he brings to the table. I don’t know how it’s going to play out. As long as it plays out, we can’t lose either way with those two.”

Shedeur Sanders Looking to Climb Depth Chart in Cleveland

Sanders put together two solid seasons in Colorado. He passed for 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns with just 13 interceptions. He averaged 318 passing yards per game and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Once projected as an early first-round pick, Sanders experienced one of the most dramatic draft slides in recent memory, ultimately falling to the fifth round where the Browns selected him at No. 144 overall.

Now, Sanders faces an uphill climb to earn playing time. He enters a crowded quarterback competition in Cleveland alongside veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was taken 50 picks earlier in the third round.

Shedeur Sanders Not Making Excuses With Browns

Despite his often confident demeanor, Sanders has handled the unexpected turn in his draft journey with poise.

“Life is just based on how you view different things,” Sanders said during minicamp. “So you can view things as you’re not getting reps in a negative way or you can view it as, OK, when it’s my time to get out there, let’s be proactive and let’s get warm, let’s get going.

“So, there’s no excuses because when you get out there, nobody cares how many reps you got whenever you get in the game. Nobody cares if you took a snap before. Everybody cares about production. So that’s the main thing when you get out there: You got to be able to produce.”

The Browns kick off training camp later this month, with Sanders and the rookies reporting on July 18. The veterans will join them on July 22.