Shedeur Sanders is trying to block out noise and focus on the Browns' playbook

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Trying to get his jersey number back is the least of Shedeur Sanders’ worries.

With a playbook to learn and trying to prove critics wrong after sliding to the fifth round in the NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback knows he has a long way to go before he even considers making an offer to receiver DeAndre Carter to wear No. 2.

“I’m not trying to buy anything. My signing bonus ain’t that high right now,” Sanders said at the end of his 13-minute availability with the media before Saturday’s practice at rookie minicamp.

Sanders took No. 12 because he said it was the best number available. It also doesn’t hurt that it was the number Tom Brady wore en route to seven Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady said during a podcast appearance earlier this week that he texted Sanders after the draft and told him to use his slide to the 144th overall pick as motivation. Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 draft.

“There were a lot of fans of me, my craft and my family that was there to support (me). I was just thankful that I have that foundation overall,” Sanders said.

While Sanders’ fall in the draft could be attributed to some of the comments from his father — Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders — he knows that everything from here on out is up to him.

“I’m taking every snap out there; I’m getting up after these hits. I’m the one throwing touchdowns. I’m the one that got to live it day by day. So all he gave us was the opportunity, and we had to navigate and see what we liked,” Sanders said. “And especially coming to this building, we have great coaches in the building able to keep me focused, keep me in a straight and narrow line.”

When it comes to the negative comments, Sanders did add that he feels most of it comes from older fans instead of those his own age or younger, and that most of it is because of his famous father.

“Ninety-nine percent of hatred is towards pops and then I’m just his son, so it really just comes from that. And I’ve told him that too,” he said. “It’s the older generation that do it to me rather than the younger people because when I come in person there’s no negativity I see. But it’s all over online.”

Sanders and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel got plenty of snaps over the two days of practices. Besides trying to learn the playbook, there is refining technique and also trying to learn how to take snaps under center regularly.

Because the veterans have not had a chance to do any 11-on-11 drills yet during their offseason program, head coach Kevin Stefanski said some of the plays installed for the rookies were to get an on-field look and assess for the first time.

Gabriel said he is not trying to get caught up in any distractions, and is welcoming the chance to compete with Sanders through the offseason program and training camp.

“I love it because of who it is. I think just for us both, you can learn from one another,” Gabriel said. “But also, it’s not just us two in the room. At least for right now it is. But going into the year, Kenny (Pickett), Joe (Flacco) and even Deshaun (Watson), just a bunch of guys who played a bunch of ball that we can all learn from one another.”

The rookies will join the veterans on Monday but won’t take the field for a couple of days as the workload increases. With a four-way competition between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders, Stefanski left open the possibility of one or two more receivers than usual being on the 90-man roster for training camp.

Even though DeShaun Watson is expected to miss the season as he recovers from tearing his Achilles twice, Stefanski said Watson is out of his walking boot, continues to rehab, and has been in the meeting room with Pickett and Flacco.

“There’s no easy way to just pour an install into a person and say, ‘Here’s our offense, here’s our playbook, figure it out.’ It just takes time,” Stefanski said. “This’s just not something that you can just pick up and snap your fingers. I wish it was so; there’s just a lot of meetings. You’re going to make mistakes — both physical and mental — and what we’re trying to do is coach off of those and learn from those.”

Sanders said the important thing he will focus on over the next couple of months is trying to improve daily.

“I just find something I want to perfect and just perfect it to the best of my abilities,” he said. “I’m just thankful for an opportunity. Things could have been a lot worse, but I’m here smiling in front of you all at this facility right now.”

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws during the NFL football team's rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) throws during the NFL football team's rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, center, walks on the field during the NFL football team's rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) speaks at a news conference during the NFL football team's rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) leaves a news conference during the NFL football team's rookie minicamp in Berea, Ohio, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

This is not exactly what the NFL and Netflix had in mind when they thought they would be getting big-name quarterbacks Jayden Daniels vs. Dak Prescott and a high-stakes matchup of NFC East rivals Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys in the Christmas Day spotlight.

As things stand now, it is hard to imagine many folks eagerly anticipating a meeting Thursday between bad teams that will miss the playoffs — and with Daniels, who has been shut down for the season after a series of injuries limited him to just seven appearances, doing no more than appearing on the sideline in street clothes.

“When you do circle those matchups, that’s exactly what you’re thinking: This is going to be cool. How it’s all laid out — division games right here at the end between two games of Philadelphia with a Dallas game in between,” said Washington coach Dan Quinn, whose team dropped to 4-11 by losing to the Eagles last Saturday and will close against that same club in Week 18.

“Playing these division games, they still mean a lot. They mean a lot to the players, the coaches and the fans,” Quinn said, perhaps trying to persuade himself and his locker room as much as anyone. “And so that part is still good, but not to the level that you wanted it to be.”

Or anyone would, really.

As Quinn put it: “You never want a season like this.”

The Cowboys haven't been as terrible as the Commanders, who have dropped nine of their past 10 games and were eliminated weeks ago. But a 6-8-1 record under first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer after trading elite pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay means Dallas is out of the postseason for the second year in a row.

Owner Jerry Jones called that outcome “disappointing.”

“We all underachieved, really,” Jones said.

The Cowboys have a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season for the second time in franchise history. The other was in 2019, when Dallas also missed the playoffs.

Prescott just secured his fourth 4,000-yard season, which ties Tony Romo’s club record. Javonte Williams has the first 1,000-yard season of his five-year career in his Dallas debut after an injury-plagued stint in Denver. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens have been a dynamic pairing all season. Pickens has a shot at 1,500 yards receiving in his first 1,000-yard season following the trade that brought him from Pittsburgh. Lamb will fall short of his All-Pro total of 1,749 yards two years ago, but has been mostly productive despite a sprained ankle that essentially cost him four games.

Six years ago, Dallas finished 8-8 despite great stats for Prescott (career-high 4,902 yards passing), Ezekiel Elliott (1,357 yards rushing) and Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup (each over 1,100 yards receiving).

The Cowboys moved left guard Tyler Smith to left tackle last week with backup Nate Thomas struggling as the fill-in for the injured Tyler Guyton. Schottenheimer said Smith would protect Prescott’s blind side the rest of the season.

Smith played left tackle as a rookie in 2022, when perennial Pro Bowler Tyron Smith was injured in training camp and missed most of the season. The Cowboys thought Tyler Smith could be more impactful at guard, but his talent might force a permanent move to the most important spot on the line.

“I’m gonna do what’s best for the team,” Tyler Smith said. “I’m a smart player. I understand who I am, where I am and, ultimately, what I’m getting paid to do.”

Both of these teams have been among the worst at stopping opponents all season, and the men who started 2025 as defensive coordinators — Matt Eberflus for Dallas, and Joe Whitt Jr. for Washington — could be looking for new jobs soon. Eberflus moved from the sideline up to the coaches' box last weekend, with no signs of that making a difference. Whitt shifted the opposite way, from the box to the sideline, in Week 10, then was stripped of play-calling duties by Quinn, who took over that responsibility in Week 11.

AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon in Frisco, Texas, contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) makes a touchdown catch past Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) prepares to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Injured Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels looks on before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)