After Asking His Father to Stay Away From Training Camp Last Year, Shedeur Sanders Welcomed Coach Prime to Cleveland
Deion Sanders had a front-row view — or, more accurately, a top-row seat — as his son continued competing for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback position.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer watched from the bleachers Thursday as Shedeur Sanders and the Browns held their second practice of training camp. The visit marked a noticeable change from last season, when Shedeur asked his father not to attend his first Cleveland camp because of the attention Deion’s presence could create.
This time, Coach Prime was welcome.
Before the afternoon practice, Deion Sanders met with Browns head coach Todd Monken and general manager Andrew Berry. Monken said the opportunity to speak with the former NFL star and current Colorado coach went well beyond discussing his role as Shedeur’s father.
“That was Deion Sanders, are you kidding me? Forget that it is Shedeur’s dad,” Monken said. “First of all, he did an unbelievable job with Shedeur — great kid, obviously an elite football player, hell, baseball player. And then as a coach, I mean, wow, everything he’s achieved, that was awesome.”
Monken and Sanders Discuss Coaching and College Football
According to The Associated Press, much of Monken’s conversation with Sanders centered on his coaching experiences at Jackson State and Colorado, along with the challenges created by Name, Image and Likeness rules in college athletics.
Monken also told Sanders that Shedeur came close to being selected by the Baltimore Ravens.
“It was part coach, part father, which is what it should be,” Monken said.
Deion also visited his older son, Shilo Sanders, during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ training camp before Shilo was released.
Shedeur described his father’s high-profile presence last season as “a gift and a curse at the same time,” particularly when he was receiving limited practice repetitions.
Thursday’s visit came on a much better day for the Sanders family. Shedeur worked with Cleveland’s first-team offense as the Browns continued evaluating him alongside Deshaun Watson.
Shedeur Sanders Takes First-Team Snaps
Sanders and Watson are alternating first-team repetitions as they compete to start Cleveland’s Sept. 13 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Monken said the coaching staff is dividing repetitions to ensure both quarterbacks receive comparable opportunities with the offense.
“You have to make a decision when you two spot — someone’s got to go with the twos, however you do it, to get the same amount of reps. So, we basically divide up the groups,” Monken said.
The Browns are also rotating other offensive players, including left tackles and receivers, as coaches evaluate how each quarterback performs with different combinations of teammates.
“The reason we also like, if we’re going to rotate the quarterbacks and rotate the left tackle, it makes sense to me with the receivers to stay, so every other day they get work with the other quarterback,” Monken said. “If we moved them together, in my mind, that doesn’t give us the ability to really see what we want to see in terms of development.”
After practice, Deion and Shedeur walked around the field and spoke privately, although much of their exchange was recorded by Deion Sanders Jr.
Deion Sanders will soon return his attention to Colorado, where he is entering his fourth season as head coach. The Buffaloes are seeking a turnaround after finishing 3-9 last season. Colorado opens fall camp Sunday and begins its season Sept. 3 against Georgia Tech.
For now, Sanders was simply a father in the bleachers watching his son compete for one of the most important jobs in professional football.
