BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns had a high-profile guest in attendance on their second day of training camp as Colorado football head coach, NFL legend and Shedeur Sanders' father, Deion Sanders, joined to watch the practice.
Sanders was spotted on the field before practice, walking around the facility and then heading inside.
Players like Jared Verse were excited to talk with Deion because of his wealth of knowledge about the game.
"Obviously he's one of the best to ever do it. As a Florida State guy, I've always watched him. I always idolized him, watching, going around the facility, you see his picture on every other wall. It's crazy. But I'm just ready to talk to him, get to dissect his brain a little bit about the game. Obviously we play different positions, but you still take a lot away from him," Verse said.
There are plenty of players who will be looking forward to sharing those moments with a two-time Super Bowl champion, NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback—and the head coach got his moment before practice.
"It was really cool. I mean, that was Deion Sanders. Are you kidding me? Forget that it's Shedeur's dad. First of all, he did an unbelievable job with Shedeur. Great kid and obviously an elite football player, hell, baseball player. And then as a coach, wow. Everything that he's achieved—that was awesome," Head Coach Todd Monken said.
According to Monken, the two had a nice conversation before the practice session, talking a little about football and a lot about life. And of course, enjoying talking to a sports great didn't hurt.
"We just started telling stories and then we really didn't get to almost any football. We got into NIL and Jackson State and Colorado and we almost drafted him in Baltimore and that crazy scenario and what a great job Shedeur's done since I've been here in terms of his development. And so it was good. It was a part coach, part father, which is what it should be," Monken said.
Monken said that Deion's relation to Shedeur, who is currently battling for the QB1 position on the team with Deshaun Watson, was less important to him in the conversation than his presence as someone with good insight, both across the game of football and as a coach. Learning more about how Shedeur operates as a player from someone who knows him best didn't hurt, though.
"Just happens to be his dad and a coach, but you're always gaining insight from anybody you draft, from the school they were at previously, how they learn, how they compete. Everything about their personality, because you can see their skillset," Monken explained. "I think how they're wired is a lot harder because again, you can turn on the tape and see a skillset. 'Can they run? Can they not? Can they jump? Physically imposing'—but finding out how they're really wired, like any of us, when things are good, when things are bad. I think that's the real, the magic in it."
