Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders landed in another argument on July 20 after Rex Ryan criticized an offseason photoshoot on X. Deion Sanders Jr. stepped in and asked why the former Buffalo Bills coach cared so much about his brother’s life away from football.

Ryan, now an ESPN analyst, reacted to a video of Shedeur posing amid several No. 12 Browns jerseys. He said a franchise quarterback must think more about “we” than “me,” turning a short clip into another debate about Sanders on July 19.

“Why does it bother you so much?” Deion Jr. replied via X on July 20, resharing Ryan's post.

Sanders Jr.’s reply on X changed the discussion's focus. Instead of talking about the photoshoot, people began looking at why Ryan keeps criticizing Shedeur.

In September 2025, Ryan stated that Shedeur acted like a star before earning Cleveland’s starting job.

"This kid talks, and he runs his mouth," Ryan said during a September episode of the Get Up podcast last year. "Like he said, 'I can be a starting quarterback' with his arms crossed like this. Quit being an embarrassment that way. You've got the talent to be the quarterback, you should be. "

Shedeur later joked with reporters by giving silent answers and said that not everyone understood his playful personality.

He eventually started seven games as a rookie. He finished the season with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a PFF grade of 44.1, ranking 42nd among 43 quarterbacks.

Cleveland ended the year at 5-12 but won its final two games, helping Sanders enter the 2026 quarterback battle with more experience.

Now the focus turns to training camp, where Shedeur’s work with veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson will say far more than anything posted on social media.

Shedeur Sanders puts respect ahead of Browns quarterback battle

With Browns training camp opening this week, Shedeur Sanders explained at his youth football camp in Brooklyn, Ohio, how he and Deshaun Watson are handling Cleveland’s race for QB1. The quarterbacks trained with Browns receivers in Miami to build trust before camp.

First-year coach Todd Monken said after June minicamp that the race was too close to call. Sanders and Watson will split first-team reps, and the competition may last through the first preseason game and a joint practice with Buffalo.

“It’s the same thing that we’ve been saying from Day 1. We’re both trying to be the best version of ourselves we could be,” Sanders said as per Cleveland.com. “So we’re not going to let anything get in between of that.”

Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, Cedric Tillman, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston joined the Miami workouts. The workouts gave both quarterbacks a chance to build chemistry with the same group of receivers away from the Browns’ facility.

Sanders went 3-4 in seven starts last season. Watson, 30, has not played since October 2024. He is now healthy after tearing his Achilles twice.

The fight for the starting job could decide how Cleveland’s offense plays this season. It could also show which quarterback works best with the receivers.

What do you think will happen if Sanders wins the starting job? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Shreya Mishra

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar