Shedeur Sanders is bulletproof with nothing to lose.Channeling his inner David Guetta from the 2011 hit song "Titanium," Sanders commanded the podium after practice with the Cleveland Browns on April 21. Grateful for everything, the quarterback sung a song of positivity as he heads into his second NFL season."Now I feel bulletproof," Sanders said of how he feels going into his second season.Coming up on the one year anniversary of his well-documented slide in the 2025 NFL Draft, Sanders isn't bitter about how everything went down. From potential No. 1 overall pick to eventual fifth-round selection, the quarterback has a new perspective on life."I'm thankful that everything happened how it happened," Sanders said.
"I'm thankful that my appreciation for a lot of things is what it is now. I'm thankful that I don't really have to chase. I'm thankful that I got a great family. ...
I think I'm just grateful overall."Positivity and gratefulness were the two things that shined through as Sanders spoke at the Browns' practice facility on a sunny day in Berea, Ohio.The quarterback seemed excited about the new coaching staff and the opportunity that comes with it."A lot of new energy," Sanders said. "A lot of great new players we have and I'm loving what we're doing."The Browns hired Todd Monken on Jan. 28 to replace Kevin Stefanski as the head coach. Monken, who previously served as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, is certainly no stranger to the Browns' roster and the personnel the team possesses.Monken, at least in Sanders' perspective, has brought some new life to the franchise.
When asked about the biggest difference between his rookie year and now, the answer was a simple one."I was in practice a little more," Sanders said with a laugh. "Honestly it's just the vibe, the overall feeling just of the team. The overall feeling of the responsibility of our players.""Coach [Monken] just spoke life into me," Sanders added.The son of Deion Sanders and former Colorado Buffaloes star spent the offseason in Ohio, working on his craft ahead of the 2026 season.
While plenty of players look to escape to warm weather climates or various parts of the world, Sanders indicated there was no place he'd rather be."This is the most important thing I have to do in my life," Sanders said. "I have a house here. I'm comfortable and I wanted to take everything to the next level within myself.
I know some things that I wanted to improve and I took a lot of time to self-reflect and view a lot of things from a different perspective."The quarterback is set to be locked in a training camp battle with Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel for the Browns' starting quarterback job.Sanders explained that he remains open to learning every day and has plenty of room to improve after making seven starts in 2025. However, don't ask him to compare his progress to the 2025 season."Respectfully I just don't want to talk about last year because it doesn't help us move forward," Sanders said. "We not in last year no more, we in this year."Sanders opted to end his availability with a mic drop, both literally and figuratively after knocking a microphone off the podium."I'm just thankful now that my coaches are extremely embracing."This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Browns' HC spoke life into Shedeur Sanders a year after NFL draft fall