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Injured Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is reportedly taking Shedeur Sanders and fellow rookie passer Dillon Garbriel under his wing. He’s been called an “awesome teammate” for his mentorship both on and off the field.
That response offered a stark contrast to the approach of NFL veteran Joe Flacco. He has no intention of being the new rookies’ “team dad!”
The Browns selected two signal callers in the 2025 NFL Draft, with the first being Gabriel out of Oregon. While there are height concerns surrounding his professional outlook, Cleveland looked past the red flags to take him with the 94th pick.
Two rounds later, they got what some considered to be the steal of the draft in Shedeur Sanders. Despite first round pre-draft grades, the Colorado passer fell to the 144th choice.
The Browns wouldn’t let him fall further. Now, both rookies are competing for the keys to the offense.
That battle is currently a four-way race that also includes Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. It’s been reported that Pickett and Gabriel have a step up, though nothing’s been confirmed on Cleveland’s end.
Will the Browns value experience over ceiling? We should find out soon enough. Deshaun Watson, who remains sidelined with an Achilles injury, has been doing his part to help the youngsters out.
Watson has reportedly taken Sanders “under his wing” this offseason. He’s done his part to support the QB room, especially the rookies.
Watson has been an awesome teammate inside the quarterback room and meeting rooms, and has been a great cheerleader for the four quarterbacks vying for the starting job… He’s been especially helpful to the rookies in Gabriel and Sanders who are working overtime to remain in the starting mix.
-Mary Kay Cabot / Cleveland.com
Deion Sanders supported Watson after his injury when many wouldn’t. The Browns passer is now repaying the favor.
Joe Flacco, meanwhile, has made his stance on the rookies quite clear. He’s not planning to be “team dad” this offseason.
“I tend to try to be honest, and I’ve said, ‘I’m not a mentor. I play football,’ and in a quarterback room, there’s a lot of times — already, there’s been already a ton of times — where there’s learning experiences and I have a lot of experience, and I can talk on things, and hopefully they listen. But it’s not necessarily my job to make sure they listen to me.”
-Joe Flacco
Flacco is willing to offer advice when asked. He’s not following up on whether or not that information is applied. Watson has been a bit more hands-on according to the recent report. We’ll see if it can help the younger players progress more quickly.
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