Here’s how Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is making progress

cleveland browns quarterback shadure sanders threw imperfection against tennessee titans on Sunday, and it indicated development.

Facing third-and-8 from Tennessee’s 20-yard line at the end of the first quarter, Sanders stood in the pocket for a few seconds as he scanned the field for an open wide receiver. As no players broke free and one of the Titans’ pass rushers fell to Sanders, he ran pirate to avoid a sack and dodged another rusher as he continued to look for a pass catcher to isolate downfield.

Finally, the rookie stopped in his tracks and threw the ball out of bounds.

“It fell incomplete, but he kept running around, looking to make a play, nobody was open, and he threw the ball away, and we got points from it,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. “I think it’s a good progression for a young quarterback. You have to know it’s a fine line of, ‘I’m trying to make a play for my football team, and I’m also going to be smart here because I have points.’ Are.’

“You learn it from playing, you learn it from being in these games. And I think he’s making progress there.”

As Sanders prepares for his fourth NFL start in Sunday’s road game Chicago Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox), he’s striking a balance between quickly catching the ball in search of the big play and learning when to see the other one down. It’s a quick decision that will be tested against a Chicago defense that leads the NFL with 18 interceptions.

Sanders has admitted on several occasions and while dating at the NFL combine in February that he holds the ball too long. He took an FBS-high 42 sacks in his final season at Colorado, and although much of it can be attributed to a poor offensive line, there were also times when Sanders could get rid of the ball early.

This season, Sanders has an average time to throw of 3.39 seconds, which would rank highest among all quarterbacks if he had enough starts to qualify. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Sanders has held the ball for more than four seconds on 22.3% of his dropbacks; The next closest Bears quarterback is Caleb Williams At 16.7%.

For Sanders, holding the ball for long periods of time has been a gift and a curse in his young career.

There have been times, such as late in the Browns’ comeback bid against the Titans, in which he has had the advantage and had explosive plays. At other times, it has hurt him and Cleveland’s offense, such as when he refused to get rid of the ball on a third-down play. san francisco 49ers In Week 12, and Brown was sacked after he was kicked out of field goal range.

Sanders threw an interception in the third quarter against the Titans in the extended game – which allowed Tennessee to retake the lead, which it would not relinquish – but he is quickly learning when to leave the game and when to push his limits.

“Sometimes you get in a situation where you realize the game is over and I’m just getting better,” Sanders said. “Last week when I found out the game was over I definitely had a little meltdown. But, like, I don’t know – in those situations, sometimes it’s like, I want to win so badly, whenever we’re in a freeze I want to do something and things like that.

“So just learning, like from last week when I took a sack that took us out of field goal position. I learned from that, and I was like, ‘Okay, knowing where we are on the field’, understanding, like, ‘Okay, I tried my first one, it doesn’t work, take it out.’ So, then I won’t be a negative influence on the team.”

Since making his first start in Week 12, Sanders has become adept at avoiding sacks. According to ESPN Research, he was sacked on 15.7% of dropbacks when pressured, a rate that ranked ninth-best among 44 quarterbacks with at least 100 action plays.

For Stefanski and his coaching staff, the goal is to get Sanders comfortable running the offense and then allow him to use his playmaking skills — within reason — when necessary.

“You look around the league, and there are a lot of quarterbacks who have always played outside of their offensive structure from childhood until they reached the pros,” Stefanski said. “And you never want to take that away from a player. And Sheddeur has the ability to take games off the schedule, so that’s something you definitely want to foster and enhance and get the team playing that style as well.

“You want to make it easy for your quarterback whenever possible, and when you can make those completions on time and play within the offensive rhythm, it makes it really difficult to defend you as a quarterback. But you never want to take away the ability to make plays off schedule.”