There's excitement in the air around Cleveland now that the Browns have an exciting new rookie class coming to town. The 2025 NFL draft and its aftermath treated the Browns well, allowing them the opportunity to add the likes of Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, and Harold Fannin to their ranks, ensuring the team's future is brighter than ever.
Browns fans will finally get a first look at the incoming first-year squad when the annual rookie minicamp begins on Friday. The future of Cleveland football hitting the gridiron is bound to excite a lot of people, including a Pro Football Hall of Famer who clearly has his sights set on one of the Browns' most intriguing rookies.
Warren Moon Endorses Shedeur Sanders Before Browns Rookie Minicamp
Nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Warren Moon recently appeared on FanDuel TV's "Up and Adams," commenting on Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders. Even though the deck is seemingly stacked against the 2025 fifth-rounder, the Hall of Fame passer believes Sanders can compete for the Browns' QB1 job.
"I think the job is wide open for Shedeur," Moon told host Kay Adams. "All he has to do is go in there, put his head down to the grindstone and go after it and be the player that he's been the last few stops he's been at... He has just as good of a chance as anyone else on that team to make it."
Getting a ringing endorsement from a living legend like Moon is huge praise for a rookie like Sanders. The 68-year-old icon dazzled NFL and Canadian Football League audiences throughout his 22-year career, culminating in the honor of being the only player to be inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Having said that, Moon's belief in Sanders isn't unwarranted. The ex-Colorado QB was projected to be a first-round pick throughout most of the pre-draft lead-up, which is why fans and experts were shocked when he fell to the Browns in Round 5.
Regardless of what led to his tumbling down, Moon's advice to Sanders is to forget about that and just focus on the fact that he's now an NFL player.
"You're in an (NFL) organization," Moon said. "You've got a chance to go in there and make a name for yourself... There's nobody there that's solidified in that job at quarterback right now."
Moon isn't wrong because the Browns' QB1 job is, in fact, relatively open with Deshaun Watson unlikely to play in 2025. Veteran QBs Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett were both brought in this offseason, while former Oregon gunslinger Dillon Gabriel was taken 50 picks ahead of Sanders. In other words, Cleveland might not be close to deciding on its starting passer.
It'll be up to Sanders to use next weekend's rookie minicamp, as well as the subsequent offseason opportunities, to impress the Browns' brass. The Tyler, TX native just won the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award after leading the Big 12 with 353 completions, 4,134 passing yards, and 37 touchdown passes, as well as a nation-leading 74.0% completion rate.
Browns fans could have an idea if Sanders is on track to compete for the QB1 role after the 2025 rookie minicamp ends.