The ever-charismatic Deion Sanders just reminded Todd Monken why he is one of the NFL greats. Coach Prime was in attendance for his son, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ training session. There, he left head coach Monken star-struck after dropping a masterclass on efficient play.

“It was really cool. I mean, ​Deion Sanders,” Monken said. “Are you kidding me? Forget that it's Shedeur's dad. I mean, first of ‌all, he ⁠did an unbelievable job with Shedeur, great kid. And obviously (Deion was) an elite football player, hell, baseball player. And then as a coach, I mean, wow. Everything that he's achieved, that was awesome.”

Monken could not stop gushing over Deion for the insights he provided earlier this week. On July 22, he used Deshaun Watson’s consecutive interceptions to make a point on how long a QB should hold the ball. 

“Don't be late on throws when challenging a player with elite tracking speed like Browns cornerback Denzel Ward,” Field Level Media reported Monken as saying on July 30. 

Shedeur, 24, faces his biggest test yet: beating out veteran Deshaun Watson for the starting job. This training camp will decide if Sanders will be benched like he was last year.

Watson sat out the 2025 season entirely due to an Achilles injury. That was Shedeur's rookie season, and he emerged as the team's lead passer with 1,400 yards and seven passing touchdowns against ten interceptions.

Deion had made his plans to meet with Monken known earlier; however, they took a backseat due to unforeseen circumstances. 

Although Monken shared what meeting Deion, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, was like, he did not reveal their discussion. 

“What a great ​job Shedeur's done since I've been here in terms of his development. And so it was good. It ​was a part coach, part father, which is what it should be,” Monken further added.

The Colorado Buffaloes coach stayed the entire duration of the practise that day to show support for his son. Deion was Shedeur’s coach in college too. 

What mattered most came next: Shedeur's performance on the field.

Shedeur Sanders shows growth in first-team reps on Day 2 of training camp

After working out with the second team on July 30, Shedeur Sanders took all first-team reps in his father’s presence. Then he completed more pass attempts than Deshaun Watson, who had a dud day. 

“On the day, Sanders completed 14 of 24 attempts while Watson went 16 of 22 with the second team, according to ESPN Cleveland’s QB tracker,” Cleveland.com reported on July 30.  “It was a rebound day for Watson, who had thrown back-to-back INTs with the first team on Wednesday.”

As Deion roots for his son to start the season, the two-man competition is still on. Whether Shedeur emerges victorious, only the next few weeks can tell. What are your thoughts?

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar