QB Shedeur Sanders has a 12-hour rule for himself — 12 hours to be happy and then he goes back to work.
By the time the Browns hit the practice field after their first preseason game against the Panthers, Sanders was long done thinking about what he did in his first game action in the NFL. Now, he has been recovering from an oblique injury and working on preparing for the last preseason game against the Rams.
To him, the last week of the preseason represents a chance to go out on the field one last time with everyone he has created a relationship with. That's a factor he said was important to him about playing the final preseason game, was knowing not everyone will still be in the locker room after cut day.
Beyond the game against the Rams and the regular season starting soon, Sanders isn't concerned with much, including the backup quarterback spot.
"I really don't look (at the backup spot). I don't care. Whenever it's time for me to get out there and play, I'm going to play. Whenever it's time for the lights to come on, I'm going to do my thing," Sanders said. "I'm not concerned about when it is. I'm not concerned about how many reps I'm getting at this point. It is what it is because I know when the lights come on, when everything is going on, when the pressure is on, you know who I am."
Sanders' confidence in the current quarterback situation is due to him being in a similar situation going into college.
He graduated early from high school and enrolled at Jackson State for the 2021 spring semester. Despite enrolling early and the football team having a spring season due to COVID-19, he was ineligible to play for the football team. Instead of starting at quarterback like he was used to, he was running the scout team, doing what he could to learn while he couldn't play.
Situations like the one in his first semester of college have helped him try to find the joy in life and make the best of whatever situation he is in.
"I like it when there are positive things happening. I don't like to be negative about too much of anything because I know everybody works hard. A lot of people work hard. Life is hard," Sanders said. "So, who am I to complain when you sit back and you think of everything in the grand scheme of things. So, I don't even really try to even get down. Whenever I even feel a little bit down, I just constantly remind myself, 'You can't be feeling that way.'"
Even though Sanders suffered an oblique injury on Aug. 13 at the beginning of a joint practice against the Eagles, he has managed to stay positive. This positive mindset is a characteristic he has held onto throughout college and high school, going back to when he was young. He contextualized his injury with what people in the world are going through and noted that there is always going to be pain and adversity.
"Regardless of physically if I don't feel my best, I still have to go out there and execute with no excuses," Sanders said.
Sanders has also been able to connect with the other quarterbacks in the room. QB Joe Flacco said that due to Sanders' positive attitude, the rookie quarterback has brought a fun aspect to training camp.
"I mean, you're always looking for (fun). That's what being a part of a team is all about. Making those connections with guys, it puts us all in that better mindset," Flacco said. "In order to play really well, you need to be in a great mindset. I think having those relationships and being able to laugh about certain things, but also get your work done, is a big part of being successful."
QB Tyler Huntley was one of the quarterbacks alongside Sanders, someone who has taken on a mentorship role with Sanders. He said Huntley has been helping him out with being a rookie quarterback in the NFL. Huntley is entering his sixth season, and has been in a variety of situations, providing insight that a young player like Sanders is searching for.
Huntley, outside of mentoring Sanders, has also stayed after practice with him to work with the Browns receivers. The pair will run plays with the receivers, both developing additional chemistry and better learning the playbook.
"The fact that (Tyler) Huntley is here, I feel like God sent him here for a reason, honestly, just to talk and to be a guy, be a mentor toward me and his career also," Sanders said. "Being in that backup role, he faced that also in his career and he just gave me the mentality on what I need to do and how I need to stay on top of everything."
Sanders said that he is learning about life from a different perspective during the early stages of his rookie season. Sanders is coming to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus every day with positive energy because he said he feels blessed to be in the situation he's in.
No matter how happy Sanders is, he is giving himself 12 hours to enjoy the feeling and then it is time to get back to work, because one day he will get an opportunity to start.
"I know my time, whenever that is, I'll be ready for it and I'm going to embrace that, but in due time. I have many things I need to fix, many things I need to work on, and I'm not oblivious to that," Sanders said. "So, all I look at it is that I'm getting more time to cook. I'm getting more time to warm up. That's all it is."
