NFL, American Football Herren, USA Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns Dec 21, 2025 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders 12 with father Deion Sanders prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Huntington Bank Field Ohio USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xScottxGalvinx 20251221_rtc_bg7_0006

Jul 24, 2026, 3:40 PM CUT

Defending Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders hits back at former NFL coach with just one word

Deion Sanders has weighed in after former NFL head coach Rex Ryan questioned his son Shedeur Sanders' mindset following a recent social media post.

Instead of addressing Ryan directly, Deion let someone else make his case before offering his own reaction. After Cleveland sports analyst Garrett Bush defended Shedeur's community work in a video shared online, Deion reposted the clip on X with a one-word message.

"PREACH!,” Deion wrote on July 23 in his X repost video.

September 21, 2024: Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders chats with his son Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders 2 before the football game between Colorado and Baylor in Boulder, CO. /CSM. - ZUMAc04_ 20240921_zma_c04_714 Copyright: xDerekxRegensburgerx

Ryan suggested the Cleveland Browns quarterback needed to focus more on the team than himself, but the criticism quickly drew attention after Shedeur hosted a free youth football camp in his hometown, leading to Deion's reaction.

After reposting the X post shared by Jaki, he gave his brief response that quickly spread across social media and served as Deion's public backing of his son amid the criticism.

In the reposted clip on July 23rd, Bush argued that Ryan overlooked what Shedeur had just done for local children by focusing on a social media post.

"He just gave the camp, right?" Bush said. "He pulled up to a place where disenfranchised people, who don't have much, and just to see the joy on their faces and the way they reacted was crazy."

Bush pointed to the free camp as an example of Shedeur giving back to the community rather than seeking attention. He also questioned why Ryan chose to criticize the young quarterback at that moment.

"He just gave a free camp... you gotta look yourself in the mirror as a grown man," Bush said.

Bush said Shedeur's actions spoke louder than the criticism, arguing that helping young athletes should have been the bigger story instead of questioning his character.

The exchange added another chapter to the growing attention surrounding Shedeur as he prepares for an important second NFL season, amid a fight for the starting QB position.

Shedeur Sanders QB battle update comes in via ESPN analyst

The discussion off the field comes as Sanders enters training camp with a chance to compete for Cleveland's starting quarterback job.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Sanders has "closed the gap" in the quarterback competition heading into camp.

Cleveland opens its first season under Todd Monken after last year's 5-12 finish. The quarterback battle is expected to continue throughout training camp.

In the last four years, in 19 games, Deshaun Watson has only managed 19 passing touchdowns.

Meanwhile, last year, Sanders appeared in eight games as a rookie, completing 120 of 212 passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions.

That battle will be one of Cleveland's biggest storylines during camp. Who do you think will emerge as the QB1 moving forward?

Written by

Evince Das

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote