Shedeur Sanders on being Browns' No. 3 QB: 'I'm thankful for my situation'

BEREA, Ohio -- Days earlier the Browns' preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams successful precocious August, Shedeur Sanders lined up for a uncommon signifier rep against Cleveland's first-team defense.

With prima walk rusher Myles Garrett successful his peripheral vision, the rookie backmost went to enactment against the starting defence with a radical of third-string roster hopefuls.

In the coming days, Sanders' spot connected the Browns' 53-man roster was officially secured. He was 1 of 3 quarterbacks -- on with Joe Flacco and chap rookie Dillon Gabriel -- to instrumentality with the team. Those August signifier reps successful the lead-up to the last preseason game, though, were a glimpse of his contiguous NFL future. Since then, Sanders has been moving the scout squad arsenic the No. 3 QB and continuing to larn arsenic helium waits for his accidental -- 1 his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado manager Deion Sanders, has predicted volition arrive this season.

A period into his rookie season, and amid sermon astir his determination not to spell to Baltimore and backmost up Ravens backmost Lamar Jackson, Shedeur Sanders precocious told ESPN helium was "thankful" for his concern successful Cleveland.

"It's amusive going retired determination and competing each day," Sanders told ESPN successful an interrogation past week. "I'm thankful for my situation. I'm thankful I'm capable to spot shot successful a antithetic airy and to beryllium capable to get a antithetic position than I person and I'm capable to turn mentally, physically, emotionally, everything, to go my champion self.

"So that's [what] I'm truthful excited about, is that whenever I'm capable to showcase it, you cognize what, adjacent if it's this twelvemonth oregon not this year, I cognize astatine the extremity of the time I'm getting person to wherever I privation to be."

Sanders has had an unexpected commencement to his NFL vocation -- from assumed first-round prime to Day 3 enactment to learning arsenic the scout squad No. 3 QB -- but it's 1 helium says helium believes has him much prepared for his moment, whenever it mightiness arise.

AFTER A STANDOUT assemblage vocation astatine FCS programme Jackson State and Colorado, playing for his begetter astatine some stops, Sanders was ESPN draught expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s top-rated backmost imaginable earlier falling to Day 3. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this period that the Ravens had intended to draught Sanders with the No. 141 pick. Sanders, though, fto it beryllium known helium didn't privation to backmost up the 28-year-old Jackson, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player grant victor who was not going to beryllium losing his occupation arsenic Baltimore's starting backmost successful the adjacent future.

The Ravens bypassed selecting the Colorado QB, and the Browns, with an opening astatine the position, traded up to No. 144 to draught Sanders. He was the 2nd backmost Cleveland took successful April's draft, pursuing Gabriel, who was picked No. 94 successful the 3rd round.

While Shedeur precocious sidestepped a question connected the validity of the report, Deion confirmed it during an quality connected Jason and Travis Kelce's "New Heights" podcast released Monday.

"I played for Baltimore, truthful maine and [former Ravens wide manager Ozzie Newsome] are cool," Deion said. "We understood that full conversation, and helium wanted to speech to Shedeur arsenic good arsenic helium wanted to speech to me. And I enactment Shedeur connected the phone, and I don't privation to accidental however it went, but however successful the satellite tin idiosyncratic responsibility him for saying oregon thinking, 'Why successful the satellite would I spell backmost up Lamar for 10 much years?'

"I've ne'er sat connected the seat and said, 'Well, I learned a batch ...