Shedeur Sanders came to the Browns as a QB4 with slim chances of even making the roster, let alone touching the field. Nobody expected Cleveland to hand real snaps to the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, but Shedeur Sanders flipped the entire script by staying ready long before anyone believed he’d get his shot. That readiness didn’t happen by accident. It came from a daily system he built with his personal quarterback coach.
By the time injuries, uncertainty, and tough decisions shook up the Browns’ QB room, Shedeur Sanders stepped forward as the only one who was fully game-ready.
His arm was sharp, his mechanics were tight, and he understood the offense like someone who knew his opportunity could come on any random Wednesday. And that’s exactly how he rose from QB4 to starting quarterback: quiet preparation that turned into loud results.
A big part of that was the man behind the grind, Darrell Colbert Jr. You’ve probably seen the name before. He’s a former quarterback with real experience under center and a deep passion for shaping talent.
His journey from Houston standout to college quarterback to respected trainer built the foundation for how he works with elite QBs today.
Colbert kept Shedeur Sanders conditioned mentally and physically during those long weeks when it seemed like Shedeur wouldn’t touch the field. Through advanced training for footwork, timing, coverage recognition, and pressure simulation, Shedeur Sanders trained like a starter even when the depth chart said otherwise.
Those sessions paid off the moment Cleveland needed him.
What Darrell Colbert Said About Keeping Shedeur Sanders In Shape
Darrell Colbert didn’t just help Shedeur Sanders stay ready. He built a routine that made Shedeur impossible to ignore once his moment arrived. When Colbert talked about those months leading up to Shedeur Sanders breakout, you could hear the pride and the certainty in his voice. He knew exactly what they were building toward.
“He was working out, like when he was coming out of there and stuff,” said the Coach, making it clear that Shedeur always carried the hunger to improve. That drive didn’t start in college, or in Cleveland, it was baked in early in high school. Colbert saw it firsthand, and he trained him with the belief that eventually, preparation would meet opportunity.
Colbert never doubted it. “I always knew just the work ethic and how things played out, that this day was gone come, you know. These guys would be here starting.”
In his mind, the rise wasn’t luck. It was the natural result of relentless work. And he reminded people of that truth: “This was worked for… all the work that’s put in draft prep, off season in season, you know. We do work out every single week. We do stuff every week with both of them.”
Before Shedeur Sanders became the Browns’ starter, Colbert was already operating like he was coaching one. “Monday before Shedeur was playing, I would be out here on Mondays, I’d be out here in Cleveland on Mondays and we would, we would do some stuff on Mondays, and we would do some stuff on Tuesdays.”
The mission was simple: “The biggest thing we wanted to do was when his opportunity came, we would make sure he’s ready, right?”
And that readiness wasn’t just about keeping Shedeur mentally sharp. It was physical, too. “We wanted to make sure his arm was in shape, um, we just wanted to make sure he was just on top of everything.”
Most people assume quarterbacks stay ready by default, but Colbert explained why backups struggle: “Just because you’re the backup, so you’re not getting many reps in practice, right? So, uh, you’re not taking and, that’s how it is, uh, being the backup.”
Shedeur wasn’t getting throws. He wasn’t getting reps. Everything went to the starter, and that meant Colbert had to create reps out of thin air. “You’re not taking a lot of reps, you’re not getting a lot of throws because you gotta get those throws and those reps to the starter.”
So Colbert built an entire off-the-books routine to fill the gap. “I spent time out here… go to the field, go to the Baldwin Wallace… man they’ve been helping us out a lot, um, especially like with the weather and everything just making sure we good with everything we need and taking care of us. We’ve been going up there and getting out work in Monday.”
Then he’d hop on a flight to Nashville to train Camfield on Wednesday: “But now since Shedeur has been playing the last few weeks we took out Monday, um, we do our stuff on Tuesday.”
Even in-season, even with Shedeur starting, the grind hasn’t slowed. Colbert said they’ve been focusing on “Staying sharp, watching them film, um, cleaning up stuff that you know, he needed to clean up the week before, stuff that he’s feeling might feel off about, or feel like he need to change… just making adjustments from the past week.”
This is the version of Shedeur Sanders Cleveland wasn’t supposed to get a QB4 built in the shadows. And the crazy part? Colbert says they’re just getting started.
Also Read: Can Shedeur Sanders Win the Offensive Player Of the Year Award?