Deion Sanders’ gets Browns head coach showdown after arrival at camp cranks up Shedeur hype

Deion Sanders spent time at Cleveland Browns training camp, and had his wishes answered.

Sanders was baffled Cleveland didn’t speak to him, and publicly requested to meet Todd Monken and talk to him about his son, Shedeur.

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After sliding down the order having been initially regarded as a potential first round prospect, Sanders was finally selected by Cleveland in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

During his visit to the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on Thursday, Deion and Monken sat down to discuss the quarterback.

“He gave me a little bit of insight, but we were up against it,” Monken said.

“[General manager] Andrew Berry was next, so I had to give him up to Andrew.

“There was some back-and-forth as to being around Shedeur in terms of how he processes personality-wise.

“I think competitive-wise, he got into it at the end in terms of what makes him tick, which was good. It was all good. But we’ve seen that.

“Most of what he said, we’ve been able to see. Now we haven’t gotten to games yet. That’s a different animal. But at this point, what he talked about, I would’ve said, ‘No, that’s how I’ve seen it.’”

Sanders coached his son in high school and college with the Colorado Buffaloes, another reason why he was baffled that the now-departed Kevin Stefanski didn’t reach out for information.

Deion’s presence at camp certainly drew attention, and as a dad, he was treated to an exhibition from his son.

Shedeur took all of the first-team reps and shined, according to Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot.

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Monken still undecided on Browns starting QB

Sanders entered last season fourth on the depth chart, but ended up starting seven games for Cleveland after injuries and initial starter Joe Flacco was traded to Cincinnati.

He threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns, but 10 interceptions led to backlash when he was selected to the Pro Bowl roster.

Deshaun Watson‘s return from injury has led to a quarterback battle for the job in 2026.

The competition will be between Watson and Sanders, with Dillon Gabriel and 2026 NFL Draft pick Taylen Green on the outside looking in.

Watson’s Browns tenure has been a disaster since signing a five-year, $230 million contract with the franchise in 2023.

Shedeur appears to have the edge in the battle, but Monken insisted it’s not a decision he is going to be making soon.

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“Ultimately, I’m not going to decide who the starter is. They decide by their play. Their play decides who the starter is,” Monken added.

“I don’t have any preconceived notions of how they’re played in the past or how they’re going to play. I only can, with my eyes, judge.”

Whether Deion’s meeting with Monken gave him an additional leg-up in the battle remains to be seen.

If Shedeur continues to build on his strong showing and outperforms Watson throughout camp, the second-year passer won’t just have his father’s backing, he’ll have earned the right to lead the Browns under center come Week 1.

Cleveland open their season against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars on September, 13.