BEREA, Ohio -- A day after the Cleveland Browns' 2025 season ended, general manager Andrew Berry called quarterback Shedeur Sanders, fresh off a seven-start rookie campaign, a "work in progress."
Five months later, at the conclusion of the Browns' offseason workout program, Berry lauded what he called "phenomenal" growth from the second-year passer.
"I think he's had an excellent spring," Berry told 92.3 "The Fan" last week. "... I think he did a phenomenal job this offseason. That really started in January and February, and then certainly as we got into having real practices in May, his growth has been tremendous. We're all very excited to see Shedeur's fall camp, preseason, things of that nature when we get into padded situations, live situations, less scripted. But his growth has truly been phenomenal."
While new Browns coach Todd Monken ultimately decided not to name a starter after mandatory minicamp last week and extended Cleveland's quarterback competition into training camp, it's in part because of Sanders' improvement in two key areas: footwork and processing.
Sanders is battling veteran Deshaun Watson for the Browns' QB1 role for 2026. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki The 2025 fifth-round pick had an up-and-down stretch as Cleveland's starter, throwing seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions in eight games. At his best, though, Sanders was an aggressive passer with the ability to make plays with his arm and legs. Sanders' 275 combined scramble rush and passing yards were eighth most in the NFL over the final eight games of the season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
However, a recurring issue he struggled with in college continued in the pros: holding onto the ball for too long. In 2025, he averaged a 3.24-second time to throw, which ranked the highest in NFL since he made his debut in Week 11. A lack of continuity with the starters -- his first practice reps with them came before his first start in Week 12 -- played a role, but Sanders acknowledged the need to get the ball out quicker.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, 53.3% of Sanders' passes were in rhythm, meaning the throw came between 2.5 and 4.0 seconds; this ranked ninth out of 30 qualifying quarterbacks from Weeks 11 to 18. But 18.9% of Sanders' attempts were extended, meaning the throw came after four seconds -- the second-highest rate in the NFL, behind only the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson. It led to the 14 pressures on dropbacks when Sanders held the ball for at least four seconds (third most in the league) and three sacks on extended dropbacks (tied for second most).