BEREA, Ohio — As Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders gears up for his fourth NFL start on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, he's doing so with a rising comfort level. Sanders has always been confident, and now, with reps and connections within the offense, he's showcasing his growth on the field each week.
One of the areas of his game that has stood out the most, and what earned him the starting job for the past two games and the remaining four, is his ability to play off schedule. Sanders has shown his ability to extend plays and make passes while under duress or on the move out of the pocket. When a play breaks down, Sanders's accuracy has allowed him to make some passes that are only there if he hits the exact right spot.
It's something that the Browns want to see more of and need the rest of the offense up to speed to achieve success within that style of play.
"I think you look around the league and there's a lot of quarterbacks that have always made plays outside the structure of their offense from when they were young to when they get to the pros, and you never want to take that away from a player and Shedeur has an ability to make plays off schedule. So that's something that you certainly want to promote and enhance and get the team playing to that style as well. You also want to make it easy for your quarterback when you can and when you can get those completions on time and play within the rhythm of the offense, that makes you really difficult to defend as a quarterback, but you never want to take away that ability to make plays off schedule," said head coach Kevin Stefanski.
But in order for that to happen, it's not just about Sanders navigating the field or getting the ball out of his hands. It's about knowing the team can depend on each other when the play needs a little help to end in a positive.
If you ask Sanders, there's a key to making that happen.
Trust.
"Building that foundation, building that trust. So when everything, when I trust, then you get the best out of me," Sanders said.
With Sanders named the starter for the remainder of the season following his impressive performance against the Titans—where he threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns in addition to scoring a rushing touchdown—the team believes that trust and chemistry can only grow.
"It's good just to have one guy you could create that chemistry with. Shedeur's going to finish out the season, so it's a good time to just build and consistently learn and build together," said wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
The Browns have seen trust produce positive results for the team in the form of a win against the Raiders and back-to-back touchdown drives that attempted to seal a win over Tennessee, stopped short only by failed two-point conversions.
It's also seen positive results on the individual level. For Sanders in particular, it's allowed him to put his work from the spring and summer into practice—especially in his footwork, which has been a point of emphasis for him even before the Browns drafted him.
"I think footwork and I think all that ties into a lot. That ties into trust, that ties into knowing where your guy's going to be. That ties into everything. So that's where you see the improvement because we had that leap of faith this week, this past week, with knowing that the receivers are going to be in the right places, looking everybody in the eye, saying, 'I'm going to be there. I got you,'" Sanders said.
But as he continues working on his connection and trust—seeing results with guys like Jeudy and tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who notched 114 receiving yards with eight receptions from Sanders—the rookie quarterback isn't yet satisfied with the results. He's looking for more.
"I'm just thankful that we built those relationships that quickly within the receiver room and within the team in the O-line and everything. But we're not content," Sanders said.
