play1:45Stephen A.: Shedeur Sanders should start the rest of the seasonStephen A. Smith breaks down why the Browns should start Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for the rest of the season.
Turron DavenportCloseTurron DavenportESPNTurron Davenport covers the Tennessee Titans for ESPN since 2018. Turron is a former collegiate football player at Cheyney University and is a native of Philadelphia, and he has authored/co-authored four books. You can catch Turron on ESPN Radio on his show “Talking with TD.”Follow on XDaniel OyefusiCloseDaniel OyefusiESPNDaniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.Follow on XDec 6, 2025, 06:00 AM ET
Cam Ward focus on Browns’ defense not Sanders (0:54)Turron Davenport reports on Cam Ward’s mentality ahead of the matchup against Shedeur Sanders and the Browns. (0:54)
Stephen A.: Shedeur Sanders should start the rest of the seasonStephen A. Smith breaks down why the Browns should start Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for the rest of the season.
Stephen A. Smith breaks down why the Browns should start Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for the rest of the season.
As Sanders dropped back to pass in February during a predraft workout on UNLV’s practice field — one of many between the two highly touted quarterback prospects — Ward watched as he ribbed his practice partner.
“They gave you a completion percentage award, because all you did was throw checkdowns and bubble screens,” Ward said. “That’s actually crazy. If I did that, my completion percentage would be 90 [percent].”
Ward and Sanders were widely regarded as the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL draft according to Scouts Inc. The two connected during their decorated college careers through their personal QB coach, Darrell Colbert Jr., and they trained alongside each other throughout the predraft process — often in long sessions mixed with fierce competition and respectful banter.
Their NFL journeys converge Sunday when the 3-9 Cleveland Browns host the 1-11 Tennessee Titans (1 p.m. ET, Fox), the first meeting between two young quarterbacks and friends trying to salvage challenging rookie seasons. Ward, the No. 1 pick in the draft, has battled through on-field struggles and the Titans’ midseason coaching change, while Sanders, drafted No. 144 in a fall to the fifth round, has climbed up the Browns’ depth chart and is set to make his third start.
“Cam’s competitive, it’s always fun, getting out there, training with him,” Sanders said. “And then, we both ended up getting drafted, and we both went our separate ways. And that’s really everybody that I played in college with almost, everybody’s focused on what they got to do, and it’s all love whenever we see each other.”
HAVING PLAYED THE position in college, at SMU and Lamar, Colbert decided to start training quarterbacks after his playing days ended in 2018. He founded Select QB Athletics in 2019, leaning on his playing experience to help young passers through personal coaching.
Shedeur lived in the Dallas area at the time, but his mother, Pilar, lived in Houston, where Colbert was based. The two formed a bond and, at Shedeur’s urging, decided to work together when Shedeur was a junior at Trinity Christian High School in Cedar Hill, Texas. But the final decision rested in the hands of his father, who wanted Colbert to head to Dallas so he could see Shedeur work out with him in person.
“Pops gave me a stamp of approval, so Shedeur and I have been rolling ever since,” Colbert told ESPN.
The other connection happened when Ward’s father, Calvin, saw Colbert working with Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones, who is Ward’s cousin. The elder Ward reached out to Colbert via Twitter, and Colbert began to train Ward ahead of his first year at Washington State.
Colbert decided it would be a good idea to try something he hadn’t done before and pair Sanders and Ward together prior to their 2022 college seasons to push each other while they trained in Houston.
“It was natural. I think it was a mutual respect,” Colbert said. “Cam had the crazy numbers at the FCS levels, doing all the stuff that he had done. Shedeur was playing like that as well. You saw what Shedeur did his freshman year at Jackson State.”
“I knew both of these guys were very competitive,” Colbert said. “That also brings so much more to the training session than just us doing one-on-one training.”
Their relationship grew from unfamiliarity to constant trash-talking. Colbert watched as their mutual respect grew, and with that, so did their competitive spirit.
There were days when Colbert trained Sanders and Ward, while in Houston, for their 2023 seasons, and he said he would marvel at how they’d go three weeks straight, four times a week, without missing a throw. The young QBs held each other accountable and never hesitated to get on one another if something wasn’t right.
Then there was the Nov. 17, 2023, game when Colorado played at Washington State and the two got to go head-to-head. Ward bluntly informed Colbert to let Sanders know there wouldn’t be any communication between the two before the game. Colbert and Sanders thought Ward was joking but soon discovered the competitive drive was turned on when no FaceTime call occurred that week.
“Cam was like, ‘I’m not talking to him,'” Colbert, 29, said. “Nobody thought he was serious, but he was for real.”
Ward’s Cougars beat the Buffaloes 56-14 in a game in which Sanders exited in the second quarter because of injury. (And, well, the FaceTime calls would soon pick back up where they left off.)
“We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft,” Berry said. “Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and it’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot.”
Ward’s 12-game season so far has been filled with ups and downs. He became the third quarterback selected No. 1 over the past five years to see his coach get fired during his rookie season. At 1-11, the Titans have the worst record in the NFL. And, Ward has been sacked 48 times, more than any other quarterback in the league through 13 weeks.
Ward’s stat line is less than impressive. He has completed 246 (59.7%) of his 412 pass attempts for 2,351 yards to go along with seven touchdowns and six interceptions. His 12 turnovers are tied with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen for the fourth most in the league. The struggles have caused some hard times and challenged Ward’s love for the game, but he has pushed forward.
“It’s for sure testing it,” Ward said. “But someone in the world has it a lot worse than I have. So that’s just how I put it in perspective. I’m very blessed. God’s blessed me with the ability to do what I love for a living.”
Colbert continued to train Sanders in the summer as Sanders prepared for training camp and was in Las Vegas for his first start. The rookie became the first Browns quarterback since 1995 to win his first NFL start.
Stephen A.: Shedeur Sanders should start the rest of the season
Sanders made the Browns’ 53-man roster as the No. 3 quarterback behind Joe Flacco and Gabriel — Kenny Pickett was traded to the Raiders — and moved into the backup role after Cleveland traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7. Sanders made his debut against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11, entering the game after Gabriel was placed in the concussion protocol at halftime, but he struggled. He completed just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception in the 23-16 loss.
Stefanski confirmed after the game that Sanders’ debut marked his first snaps with the first-team offense in any setting. Sanders, though, made his first start against the Raiders, which meant a week of practice reps with the starters. He impressed with 209 passing yards and one touchdown in a 24-10 victory, and Stefanski stuck with Sanders as the starter, even after Gabriel cleared the concussion protocol.
It has been a crash course, however, for Sanders, as he works to establish rapport with his teammates, all while trying to apply the teachings from the past several months and make improvements in multiple areas, including footwork and pocket presence. He has completed 50.8% of his passes for 405 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“I think there’s certain things that — certain areas that I need to improve in, quickly,” Sanders said. “Just because I’m a rookie, that’s not really an excuse out there.”
A Titans loss would increase their chances of getting the No. 1 pick from 47.3% to 66%, according to ESPN Analytics; the odds would drop to 29% with a win. A Browns loss would increase their chances of getting the top pick from 7.5% to 14%, while a win would drop the odds to less than 1%. Cleveland, though, has an extra first-round pick from its trade with the Jaguars, additional draft capital that could be used to target a coveted passer in the 2026 draft.
Ward has shown flashes of why he could be the Titans’ franchise quarterback. Interim head coach Mike McCoy saw signs of progress from Ward after he threw for 256 yards and a touchdown and scrambled for a season-high 37 yards, including his first rushing touchdown, in a 30-24 Week 12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
“It’s taking that next step, and that’s what [Ward has] done,” McCoy said. “We’ve been saying it from day one, the way he competes, the way he works every day. When we first came in in the offseason program, the early mornings, staying late, things like that, it’s starting to pay off.”
In Cleveland, the long-term solution at the most important position remains unclear with five games remaining. Gabriel struggled in his six starts — his 30.9 QBR ranked only above the Raiders’ Geno Smith — and Sanders’ sample size is small. The Browns on Wednesday opened the practice window for Deshaun Watson, who hasn’t played since tearing his right Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024.
But on Sunday, the spotlight will be on Ward and Sanders, both attempting to make the most of the final games of their rookie seasons.