Browns Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents
The Browns have signed 13 undrafted free agents to bring their rookie class to 20 players. Here are Cleveland’s initial UDFA signings:
- Adin Huntington, DE/DT (Tulane)
- Jason Ivey, OT (North Carolina A&T)
- LaMareon James, CB (TCU)
- Dom Jones, CB (Colorado State)
- Gage Larvadain, WR (South Carolina)
- Ahmani Marshall, RB (Appalachian State)
- Eason Mascarenas-Arnold, LB (Southern California)
- Bret Matiscik, LS (TCU)
- Donovan McMillon, S (Pittsburgh)
- Justin Osborne, C (SMU)
- Ja’Seem Reed, WR (San Diego)
- Dartanyan Tinsley, OG (Cincinnati)
- Eli Wilson, FB (Appalachian State)
Huntington spent three years at Kent State before transferring to Louisiana-Monroe and breaking out with 16 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks across 12 games. That earned him renewed interest in the transfer portal, but he could not sustain his production at Tulane against better competition in 2024. Huntington put together an extremely impressive performance at his pro day, but his 6-foot-1, 281-pound frame doesn’t have a clear positional fit in the NFL. His athleticism gives him potential as a disruptive pass-rusher and his ability to line up at multiple spots along the D-line could help him find a role in Jim Schwartz‘s defense.
Matiscik, the younger brother of Jaguars long snapper Ross Matiscik, spent three years as TCU’s starting long-snapper and will compete for the same role in Cleveland. The Browns used two long snappers last season: veteran Charley Hughlett for the first five games and rookie Rex Sunahara for the remaining 12. Hughlett was released this offseason after 10 years in Cleveland, leaving Sunahara as the incumbent to fend off Matiscik this summer.
McMillon started his collegiate career at Florida before transferring to Pittsburgh in 2023 to take over a starting role. He recorded 220 tackles in 25 games across the last two years, but he didn’t make many splash plays with just two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one interception, and nine passes defended. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound McMillon has the requiste size and athleticism for the NFL, but he lacks a standout strength that could help him carve out a role as a rookie. He’ll need to establish himself on special teams to make the roster as he develops as a safety.
Osborne is a strong, explosive athlete who brings positional versatility and experience to the NFL. He logged starts at all five offensive line positions at SMU, primarily at tackle before playing guard and center in 2024. Despite that pedigree, he’s still a raw player who relies on his solid instincts to win blocks.
Browns, S Rayshawn Jenkins Agree To Deal
The Browns are having a busy day in terms of veteran safety additions. Rayshawn Jenkins has a deal in place with the team, as first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. 
Jenkins joins Damontae Kazee as an experienced option at the position who has agreed to a Browns pact today. Kazee had not previously been linked to Cleveland, but that was the case for Jenkins. The latter conducted a free agent visit last month, so the news of this signing comes as little surprise.
After four years with the Chargers and three with the Jaguars, Jenkins spent the 2024 campaign in Seattle. The 31-year-old made 13 appearances and nine starts, handling a 65% snap share on defense. In spite of that workload, Jenkins was among the veterans cut by the Seahawks prior to the start of free agency. That move resulted in a lengthy free agent spell.
Jenkins’ deal will no doubt be a low-cost investment on the part of the Browns. Rodney McLeod gave the team a veteran presence in the secondary last year, but he remains unsigned and is a candidate to retire. Both Kazee and Jenkins will look to fill the role McLeod had in 2024.
The Browns – who still have Grant Delpit atop the depth chart along with Ronnie Hickman as a safety in line to see defensive snaps – fared better against the pass last season than they did in many other defensive categories. There is still room for improvement in that area, though, and one or both of Jenkins and Kazee could play a role in meeting that goal.
Browns To Sign S Damontae Kazee
Damontae Kazee will remain in the AFC North despite joining a new team. The veteran safety has agreed to a deal with the Browns, as first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. 
Kazee spent the past three years with the Steelers, operating as a key defender during the 2023 season in particular. Last year, though, his playing time dropped considerably. It thus came as little surprise the 31-year-old remained on the free agent market well after the draft.
A veteran of 112 combined regular and postseason games, Kazee has also seen time with the Falcons (2017-20) and Cowboys (2021) during his career. He will provide plenty of experience for the Browns, a team which had Rodney McLeod in place last season. McLeod has not officially retired yet, but he said one year ago that he planned on 2024 being his final campaign in the league. This move certainly points to McLeod hanging up his cleats or at least playing elsewhere in 2025.
Cleveland has Grant Delpit attached to a $12MM-per-year deal at the safety spot, and the team also has former UDFA Ronnie Hickman – who has made nine starts during his two NFL seasons – in the fold. Kazee led the NFL with seven interceptions in 2018, but he has not surpassed two in a campaign since then. The San Diego State product will aim to earn a rotational role on defense but he could contribute on special teams as well.
The Browns entered Monday with just under $19MM in cap space. That figure will not be affected to a large extent by this Kazee pact, one which will likely check in at or near the veteran minimum. The deal will nevertheless give Cleveland a new veteran presence in the secondary.
Andrew Berry: Unlikely Browns Re-Sign RB Nick Chubb
As the offseason has unfolded, Nick Chubb‘s time in Cleveland has increasingly looked as though it is coming to an end. Another indication emerged on Friday pointing to the Pro Bowl back needing to change teams shortly. 
“I wouldn’t rule anything out, but I would say it’s probably increasingly unlikely,” general manager Andrew Berry said of a Chubb deal taking place during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan. “I’d say maybe a return is less likely, at least in the short term, with us right now.”
Entering the draft, it was unclear if Chubb would secure another Browns commitment based on his play upon returning to action in 2024. The 29-year-old played in eight games last season, but he was unable to duplicate his production or efficiency from the time preceding his massive 2023 knee injury. That ailment required multiple surgeries and led to questions about Chubb’s ability to return to the NFL in any capacity. While he managed to do so, the Browns very much appear to have moved on.
Cleveland added a pair of rookies to the backfield during the draft. With second-rounder Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the fold, two spots on the depth chart are accounted for in 2025 and beyond. A Chubb deal would have become more feasible in the event Jerome Ford had been released or traded this offseason. Instead, he agreed to a pay cut last week, ensuring his spot for next season. Those moves have pointed strongly to Chubb no longer being in Cleveland’s plans.
Berry acknowledged the Browns “haven’t necessarily been in strong communication” with Chubb’s camp since the draft. A lack of contract talks of course represents another signal the team has moved on. Chubb’s attention will turn to finding a suitor ahead of training camp, although by this point of the offseason teams have done much of their roster-building work. It will be interesting to see how much of a market develops over the coming weeks in his case.
Cleveland, meanwhile, will aim to develop a strong backfield duo of Judkins and Sampson over the coming years with Ford (who took on starting duties in Chubb’s absence in 2023) looking to boost his free agent stock for next spring. Barring an unforeseen development, Chubb will not figure into that group.
Browns Sign LB Carson Schwesinger, RB Dylan Sampson To Rookie Deals
Like many other teams in the NFL, the Browns got started with signing some of their 2025 NFL Draft picks today. The team announced this evening that second-round linebacker Carson Schwesinger and fourth-round running back Dylan Sampson have signed their four-year rookie contracts. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Schwesinger’s rookie deal will be fully guaranteed, making him only the second second-round pick to sign such a deal in NFL history, after Houston’s Jayden Higgins.
Starting his collegiate career as a walk-on at UCLA, Schwesinger didn’t become a starter for the Bruins until this past year. After only logging 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack in his first two years in Los Angeles, Schwesinger exploded onto the scene in 2024. In 10 starts, he tallied 136 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
Though Devin Bush is dealing with an assault and harassment charge, he, Jordan Hicks, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Mohamoud Diabate are all set to return as main contributors at the position in 2024. While Owusu-Koramoah (7th), Bush (9th), and Hicks (11th) all graded out extremely well out of 84 players graded at the position in 2023, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Diabate (74th) could easily be improved upon this year.
Owusu-Koramoah is currently working his way back from a neck injury that held him out of the team’s final nine games of the season. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, though, even if Owusu-Koramoah were healthy, Schwesinger still would’ve been the pick in the second round. Cleveland will now count on Schwesinger to push Diabate for that role as a fourth linebacker, fill in should Bush miss any time because of his legal issues, or fill in should Owusu-Koramoah not get back to full health in time to start the season.
Like Schwesinger, Sampson didn’t become a starter until this past season. Despite only starting zero games as a true freshman, he logged 397 yards and six touchdowns on just 58 carries. The next year, he only started one game but toted the ball 106 times for 604 yards and seven touchdowns. Finally a full-time starter in 2024, Sampson ran the ball 258 times for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns in 13 games.
After a year in which the Browns ranked 29th in rushing and failed to see a running back eclipse 600 yards on the ground, Sampson enters a wide-open situation. Jerome Ford returns as the lead back from last year with Nick Chubb unlikely to return, as does Pierre Strong, who will play on the final year of his rookie deal. Sampson will compete with fellow rookies Quinshon Judkins (second round) and Ahmani Marshall (undrafted) to push Ford and Strong for big roles in 2024.
Here’s a look at the Browns’ draft class including the two new signees:
- Round 1, No. 5 (from Jaguars): Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)
- Round 2, No. 33: Carson Schwesinger (LB, UCLA) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 36 (from Jaguars): Quinshon Judkins (RB, Ohio State)
- Round 3, No. 67: Harold Fannin Jr. (TE, Bowling Green)
- Round 3, No. 94 (from Bills): Dillon Gabriel (QB, Oregon)
- Round 4, No. 126 (from Vikings through Jaguars): Dylan Sampson (RB, Tennessee) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 144 (from Patriots through Seahawks): Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado)
Browns Did Not Significantly Factor Deion Sanders Into Shedeur Sanders Evaluation; Latest On QB’s Slide
In 2018, Deion Sanders famously criticized the Browns as a poor place for a quarterback prospect to land. This assessment came before Baker Mayfield‘s inconsistent tenure, one that ended soon after the Deshaun Watson trade, but the cornerback legend/future college HC was not exactly off-base when it came to quarterbacks in Cleveland — at least, the second incarnation of the Browns.
Deion, of course, now has a vested interest in Browns QB development after seeing his son’s historic draft slide ended when Cleveland traded up to No. 144. Shedeur Sanders‘ three-day fall overshadowed this year’s draft, and Deion’s presence was viewed as an accelerant to his son’s tumble. Deion Sanders had said well before the draft “certain cities” would not work as his son’s landing spot. When it became clear the NFL had a much lower view of Shedeur’s prospect value, the Sanderses’ pre-draft game plan looks to have been a misplay.
[RELATED: Joe Flacco Could Be Browns’ Odd Man Out In QB Room?]
Regarding Deion’s involvement, however, Browns GM Andrew Berry said it did not play a significant role in the organization’s evaluation of his son.
“I felt like our personal relationship and interactions with Deion, that’s really been all positive from our perspective, and I mean that organizationally, not just me and Kevin (Stefanski),” Berry said, via SI.com’s Charlie Viehl. “But really, all of us who have interacted with Deion and the people out in Colorado. We don’t typically penalize prospects for their parents, so to speak. So I can’t say if that was a factor or not for other teams. But that was not a significant factor for us.”
While Deion Sanders has repeatedly shot down rumors about potentially moving up to the NFL as a coach, he admitted he spoke with Jerry Jones about the Cowboys’ offseason HC vacancy. Rumblings about coaching staffs’ potential leeriness regarding the elder Sanders being a threat to coach his son down the road surfaced as a potential contributor to the draft slide, as some of the teams with QB vacancies feature head coaches on hot seats. Deion signed a Colorado extension this offseason, but the buyout numbers would not impede an NFL team beyond this year. Shedeur’s pre-draft interviews, however, remain the most notable catalyst for his slip from potential top-five pick to fifth-rounder.
We have heard a few post-draft accounts about teams’ dissatisfaction with Sanders’ interviews. His Brian Daboll Combine meeting is not believed to have gone smoothly, and an encounter with an anonymous team concluded with the QB saying he and that team were not a good match. Sanders is being criticized for overplaying his hand, operating like a top-tier prospect — as his father was 36 years ago — while not having the skillset to justify it.
Sanders only met with teams holding a top-seven draft choice at the Combine, and Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna indicates the Colorado QB turned one of those meetings into his own evaluation of the franchise. Sanders asked team brass about its plan to support him. Had Cam Ward made posed such a question, that would have made a bit more sense due to the momentum the Miami QB had built. But Sanders is believed to have asked it after faring poorly when discussing that team’s playbook, McKenna adds. This may well have been part of a “sandbagging” effort, as CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones noted the accomplished college QB is believed to have attempted to purposely come off as unimpressive to teams he did not view as desirable destinations.
Understandably, that perceived effort did not go over well with teams, Jones adds. Multiple clubs are believed to have removed Sanders from their draft boards, with a report indicating Deion’s involvement “didn’t help” as teams evaluated his son. An unspectacular pro day, and Deion making the decision to retire his son’s Colorado number despite seemingly insufficient qualifications also may have influenced teams’ decisions once the draft wore on, per Jones.
The Browns effectively admitted they were not especially high on the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year by choosing Dillon Gabriel 94th overall. He and Sanders will now coexist on a team that added Kenny Pickett and reacquired Joe Flacco before the draft.
As Deion Sanders assessments of the Browns will undoubtedly surface once his son begins competing for the starting job, the Browns having acquired a first-round pick — via their three-spot trade-down with a Jaguars team that acquired three-year Sanders teammate Travis Hunter — keeps the door open for Cleveland to make a move for a passer in 2026. A year out, that class is viewed as superior to 2025’s crop.
For now, the Browns — as they transition from a still-rostered Watson — will give all four of their passers a chance to win the QB1 gig. PFR readers view Flacco as the runaway lead candidate to make the most QB starts for the team this season, but Sanders’ path will certainly generate the most interest — regardless of what position on the depth chart he secures.
Joe Flacco Odd Man Out In Browns QBs Room?
While the ink still isn’t dry on Joe Flacco‘s contract with the Browns, there’s already speculation that the veteran may not make it to the regular season with his new squad. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Joe Flacco is likely the odd man out in the Browns quarterbacks room.
The team’s positional depth has obviously changed a bit since Flacco inked a deal with Cleveland in early April. The Browns added a pair of big-name rookies via the draft, and it sounds like the team is committed to giving roster spots to both third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and surprising fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
As the Browns navigated Deshaun Watson‘s injury and tenuous standing on their squad, the team went out and made a trade for Kenny Pickett earlier this offseason. Cabot believes the former first-round pick is in prime position to retain his roster spot, and that would leave Flacco on the outside looking in.
The team would surely only commit three roster spots to the quarterback position, but Cabot says the team could hang on to four QBs for the first iteration of their 53-man roster. The team did something similar last year, when they kept Tyler Huntley with the hopes of a trade popping up. A deal never came to fruition, and the organization moved on from Huntley before Week 1.
It’s hard to envision a long line of suitors for Flacco. That has nothing to do with his quality of play—even during his age-39 season, Flacco won a pair of games while tossing 12 touchdowns vs. seven interceptions. Rather, teams will likely be cognizant of Flacco’s spot on Cleveland’s roster, and they may just wait out an inevitable release if they truly have interest in the veteran.
On the flip side, Flacco could simply play himself into a role, potentially leading to a tricky situation for the Browns. The most likely path would see them move on from Pickett, but if both vets are truly deserving of a spot, then it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for them to ditch a draft pick or try to sneak a rookie onto their practice squad.
Meanwhile, we’ve finally gotten some details on Flacco’s contract (via OverTheCap.com). His one-year, $4MM pact includes $3MM in guaranteed money, although a chunk of that total is tied to roster bonuses that could be avoided. Flacco is also attached to a $2.85MM cap hit, and the Browns would be left with half of that on the books if they outright released the quarterback.
Browns Sign WR Diontae Johnson
MAY 6: To no surprise, ESPN’s Field Yates notes Johnson’s pact is one year in length and is worth the veteran minimum ($1.17MM). No money is guaranteed, so this move represents a low-risk investment on the Browns’ part. Johnson will turn his attention to securing a roster spot knowing a return to his previous form could greatly help his 2026 market value.
APRIL 28: Diontae Johnson‘s eventful 2024 effectively torpedoed his free agency stock, the now-well-traveled wide receiver has found a new home.
The Browns are signing the veteran wideout, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. This will be Johnson’s third AFC North stop, as the formerly productive Steelers pass catcher’s turbulent year wrapped with the Ravens. Johnson visited the Browns on Monday.
As expected, we heard next to nothing about Johnson during the pre-draft free agency period. His having been moved four times last year — twice traded, twice waived — saw to it that the former 1,000-yard Ben Roethlisberger target would need to rebuild his stock. The Browns will give him a chance after not selecting a receiver in the draft.
Johnson follows Tyler Lockett off the board at receiver. Lockett joined the Titans just before Round 1, leaving Keenan Allen and ex-Browns 1,000-yard target Amari Cooper as the most notable unsigned talents at the position.
Going into 2024, Johnson carried a reputation as a high-end route runner and a player who dealt with drop issues. Effort concerns also cropped up late in his Pittsburgh tenure, but that no longer defines the former third-round pick. Instead, Johnson burned bridges at every turn last season. He asked out of Pittsburgh, which traded him to Carolina for cornerback Donte Jackson. Johnson, 28, then sought a trade from the Panthers. It only worsened from there, as he wore out his welcome quickly in Baltimore and Houston.
The Ravens acquired Johnson in a pick-swap deal involving Day 3 choices. At the time, that seemed like a win for Baltimore due to the experience and production Johnson accumulated during his first five seasons. But Johnson’s Ravens tenure showed why that trade price emerged. The Ravens suspended the trade pickup for refusing to enter a Week 13 Eagles matchup after Rashod Bateman had gone down with an injury. This led to the Ravens waiving Johnson, who did not reach free agency thanks to claims from the Chargers and Texans. Houston’s waiver priority won out, but the team — even after injuries ended Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell‘s seasons — barely deployed its late-season addition and waived him barely two weeks after making the successful claim.
Johnson, who had signed at two-year Steelers extension worth $36.7MM in 2022, was believed to have been needed to be calmed down by teammates after he was sparsely used in the Texans’ wild-card win over the Chargers. The six-year veteran played all of 16 offensive snaps across two Texans games, as the team did not deem him a reliable auxiliary cog. The Ravens then claimed Johnson for the sole purpose of potentially recouping a late-round comp pick, as they are known to hoard those. No such reward will arrive, as no team signed Johnson until after that deadline passed.
Cleveland has not re-signed Cooper, whom it traded to Buffalo before last year’s deadline. As Cooper has resurfaced as a Dallas option, the Browns will take a flier on Johnson. This will mark an interesting Johnson-Kenny Pickett reunion. Pickett’s rookie year famously involved Johnson setting an NFL record for most receptions (86) in a season without a touchdown. Johnson scored five TDs in 2023, but the Steelers had begun to sour on Pickett by then. Pickett is now one of four QBs in the picture for the Browns, who drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders after re-signing Joe Flacco.
The Browns have Jerry Jeudy entrenched as their top receiver, with Cedric Tillman Jr. tentatively in place as their No. 2 option. The team has also not re-signed Elijah Moore, who served as a slot performer following a 2023 trade.
Johnson, who totaled at least 680 receiving yards each year from 2019-23 (including a 1,161-yard 2021 to help the Steelers to the playoffs), has a resume that would support a starting role. But he will need to prove he can be relied upon again. It is interesting that Cleveland would make this move with two rookie QBs set to begin development, but Johnson has been one of the league’s better separators. If he can reestablish himself as a usable piece, the Browns would benefit.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.
Browns LB Devin Bush Charged With Simple Assault, Harassment
11:15am: Further details have emerged in this case through the police report (h/t Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). Per the report, the charges stem from an alleged altercation between Bush and his girlfriend. An argument between the two resulted in the latter filming the incident on her phone, which led to Bush allegedly “[clutching] the phone to her chest while he pinned her against a massage table, putting his full body weight on top of her.”
Bush’s girlfriend told police abrasions which were found on her right wrist and right foot were caused by the incident, which resulted in her phone being smashed. Bush admitted to destroying the phone when speaking to police but denied getting physical with the alleged victim.
8:59am: Browns linebacker Devin Bush was arrested in the Bell Acres Borough of Pennsylvania on Sunday, as first reported by Colin Dunlap of KDKA radio. Bush now faces charges of simple assault and harassment. 
Per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal, court records show Bush has been arraigned and has posted a non-monetary bail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 20 in the Allegheny County Magistral District Court. The simple assault represents a second-degree misdemeanor, while the harassment charge is a summary offense.
A team statement from the Browns indicates they are aware of the situation and are gathering more information at this time. Bush’s legal process will begin to play out later this month. Irrespective of what happens on that front, league discipline under the personal conduct policy could be in play.
Bush spent his first four NFL seasons with the Steelers, facing high expectations after Pittsburgh moved up in the draft to select him. The Michigan product had a highly productive rookie campaign but did not develop as hoped after that, and he departed in free agency in 2023. A one-year Seahawks deal resulted in a depth role for Seattle, and Bush followed that up with a return to the AFC North last offseason.
The 26-year-old made 16 appearances and 10 starts in 2024 for Cleveland, collecting 76 tackles. He re-signed on a one-year deal in March, paving the way for another campaign with the Browns. A fine or suspension limiting his availability for the 2025 season could be in play depending on how this situation unfolds, however.
Browns Couldn’t Pass Up Value Of Shedeur Sanders Pick
It wasn’t a surprise that Shedeur Sanders ended up in Cleveland by the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft. After all, the Browns had a glaring need at quarterback and extensively scouted the Colorado product during the pre-draft process.
The real shocker was that the Browns landed Sanders on Day 3 after already picking a quarterback in the third round.
The team arrived at the conclusion that Sanders wasn’t worth the No. 2 pick, per Daniel Oyefusi and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, but he was still considered a potential target late in the first round or early in the second. That especially seemed like the case when the Browns added extra draft capital in their trade with the Jaguars, positioning them to add a quarterback on Day 2.
That theory turned out to be half-right. Cleveland drafted a QB with the 94th overall pick, but it was Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, not Sanders. His slide continued into Day 3, where the Browns decided his value was too good to pass up. They traded up to the 144th pick to select Sanders, ending his fall and landing a potential future starter in the fifth round.
“We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft,” said Berry after the pick (via Oyefusi). “Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and it’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot.”
Drafting Gabriel made it seem like they had no intention of bringing Sanders to Cleveland. Browns personnel believed that other teams had a Day 2 grade on the polarizing prospect and were thus surprised when he fell past the third round. When Sanders’ name wasn’t called early on Day 3, general manager Andrew Berry started working the phones to move up, even after selecting Gabriel the day before
Cleveland’s front office didn’t spend time reevaluating Sanders’ talent or reassessing his ranking on their board. Nor were they pushed by team owner Jimmy Haslam to make the pick, at least according to Berry.
Instead, according to Oyefusi, Berry “worked hard to trade up” and eventually delivered the news to Sanders via video call. His father, Hall of Fame cornerback and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, later called Berry as well after getting to know each other during the pre-draft process. Deion also has a good relationship with Browns quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave after playing together for the 49ers in 1994.
Deion’s legacy loomed large during the months leading up to the draft. He famously rejected a written test from the Giants during his own pre-draft interviews in 1989, confidently (and correctly) asserting that he would be drafted long before New York was on the clock.
That attitude seemed to carry over to his son. During and after Shedeur Sanders’ fall, reports emerged that he struggled in his interviews and visits with teams, especially the Giants. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Sanders approached his meetings with prospective future employers as if he was being “recruited” as opposed to being “interviewed.” That caused him to be wiped from several teams’ boards, including the Steelers.
Despite persistent links throughout March and April, Sanders was never a “real option” for Pittsburgh, according to Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show. The Steelers were more interested in Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard and Ohio State’s Will Howard, the latter of whom they drafted in the sixth round.
Sanders’ interactions with the Browns were reportedly more positive than with other teams, giving Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski the confidence that adding one of the most talked-about prospects of the year could only help their uncertain quarterback situation. Cleveland has no clear starter for 2025 or beyond, giving Sanders an opportunity he may not have had with another other team.
If the Browns can turn a fifth-round pick into a franchise quarterback, they’ll have cleared a major hurdle in recovering from the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade and bringing the team back to competitive relevancy.