Browns insiders set the record straight around Shedeur Sanders' impressive OTAs stats: "He did not take a team rep"

The buzz around Shedeur Sanders was impossible to miss this week. The rookie quarterback’s early OTA statistics, with 7-of-9 passing and three touchdowns, quickly gained traction across national media and sparked a wave of optimism among Browns fans. However, according to local reporters familiar with the situation, there is more to the story.

“The thing took on a life of its own,” explained Dan Labbe on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “It went from kind of, however one you want to view it, a cute, fun sort of, haha, look, they’re keeping stats on OTAs. Everybody’s picking up on this and everybody’s talking about it and it’s showing up on national TV shows and people were seeing major media outlets tweet it and put it on their socials and all of that.”

While Sanders’ numbers sounded impressive, Labbe emphasized that context was missing, which changes how the performance should be viewed.

Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot added essential details about Sanders’ role during these sessions.

“Shedeur Sanders, as we so aptly told everybody yesterday, did not take one rep in 11-on-11s,” Cabot stated. “He has to come in here as the fourth-string quarterback and work his way up that depth chart. So he did not take a team rep. He did not have Mason Graham in his face yesterday at all.”

Cabot clarified that while she was not criticizing Sanders, accuracy matters.

“I’m not anti-Shedeur Sanders,” she said. “I am all about getting the facts right, getting the facts straight.”

Fellow Browns reporter, Ashley Bastock, also weighed in, noting the absence of real defensive pressure in Sanders’ work so far.

“There’s just no real context to those numbers either in that graphic,” Bastock said. “Because basically what you’re saying, one guy, Shedeur, was not in 11-on-11s at all. The other guys’ numbers, I would assume, but I don’t know for sure, include their 11-on-11 numbers.”

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Breaking down the context behind Shedeur Sanders’ OTA numbers

In 7-on-7 drills, where Sanders reportedly stood out, quarterbacks operate in a much cleaner environment. With no pass rush or defensive linemen closing in, they have more time to scan the field, make reads, and deliver passes without the usual pressure of a full defense.

As of now, the young talent remains buried on the Browns’ depth chart. Shedeur Sanders will compete for a roster spot behind Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. To move up the depth chart, Sanders will need to showcase his abilities in full-team drills and preseason games, demonstrating readiness for game-like conditions.

While the viral stats made waves online, Browns insiders caution against reading too much into numbers that didn’t come against full-speed defenses.

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Labbe pointed out. “He just showed up and practiced. But the rest of the world has run with these OTA stats.”

For now, Sanders’ potential is still what it was when the Browns drafted him—promising but unproven. The real test will be how he performs when the pressure mounts later this summer.