BEREA, Ohio - A day after the Cleveland Browns finished their 2025 campaign, general manager Andrew Berry described quarterback Shedeur Sanders, coming off seven starts as a rookie, as a work in progress.

Five months later, after the Browns wrapped up their offseason program, Berry praised the notable strides made by the second-year signal caller.

I think he has had an excellent spring, Berry told 92.3 The Fan last week. I think he did a phenomenal job this offseason. That really started in January and February, and then certainly as we got into having real practices in May, his growth has been tremendous. We are all very excited to see Shedeur fall camp, preseason, things of that nature when we get into padded situations, live situations, less scripted. But his growth has truly been phenomenal.

While new Browns coach Todd Monken chose not to name a starter after mandatory minicamp last week and pushed the quarterback competition into training camp, part of the reason stems from Sanders gains in two main areas: footwork and processing speed.

The 2025 fifth-round selection experienced mixed results during his time as Cleveland starter, completing seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions across eight games. At his peak, Sanders displayed an aggressive style with the talent to create via arm and legs. His 275 combined scramble rush and passing yards ranked eighth in the NFL over the final eight games of the season, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Yet a familiar college habit persisted in the pros: holding the ball too long. In 2025, he posted a 3.24-second average time to throw, the highest mark in the NFL since his Week 11 debut. Limited early reps with the starters played a part, but Sanders recognized the need to release quicker.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, 53.3 percent of Sanders passes came in rhythm, between 2.5 and 4.0 seconds, ranking ninth among 30 qualifying quarterbacks from Weeks 11 to 18. However, 18.9 percent of his attempts were extended beyond four seconds, the second-highest rate in the league behind only Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson. This led to 14 pressures on dropbacks when he held the ball for at least four seconds, third most in the league, and three sacks on extended dropbacks, tied for second most.

As Sanders absorbed Monken playbook this spring, focus centered on moving through progressions faster and refining footwork to support that process.

He has done a great job of defining his footwork, playing with a base, learning the offense, working his butt off to really master his craft, quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian said. And it has been fun to watch. He has done a really good job. He is getting through progressions faster, and his feet are matching that mindset.

We hammer the quarterbacks and the appropriate footwork that corresponds to the timing and space of the concept, Bajakian later said. So you can tell without the full speed rush whether their timing is off, the timing mechanisms of the drop technique.

This spring, Browns quarterbacks practiced with GoPro cameras mounted on their helmets. The tool microphone lets coaches review audio of each quarterback, hearing how they call plays in the huddle and at the line while confirming desired cadence. The video also provides coaches a first-person view of decision-making and eye placement in the progression.

It has served as a useful tool to track growth in the scheme, since Monken offense grants quarterbacks freedom to audible and alter plays at the line.

Sanders progress has been impressive, offensive coordinator Travis Switzer said. Just his ability to move through progressions. His feet are getting more urgent, and he is ready to throw when he needs to more consistently. We can continue to grow there, but his progress has been impressive.

Some of the gains may trace to the 24-year-old Sanders choice to remain in Cleveland for most offseason workouts, a move that drew notice.

He has been in Cleveland most of the winter, and I think that says a lot for his dedication to wanting to be an NFL quarterback and what it takes, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said at the league meetings in March. His body looks better. I think he has been working hard. So, I think it is hard for a lot of college kids to understand what it takes to play in the NFL, and particularly, quarterback. I think Shedeur got an education in that, and my instincts are he will come back ready to play.

Sanders noted the value of staying local.

This is the most important thing I have to do in my life, he said. I have a house here. I am comfortable, and I wanted to take everything to the next level within myself. I know there are some things that I wanted to improve, and I took a lot of time to self-reflect and just view a lot of things just from a different perspective, honestly. And I think I covered a lot of ground with that.

The next phase involves translating gains into training camp. Monken said he wants to evaluate Sanders and Deshaun Watson in more game-like settings with padded practices, a more active pass rush and possibly preseason games.

I think he is being more decisive, Monken said. Now, it is easy to say we are not in pads. It just feels like he is making quicker decisions. The ball is coming out of his hands, which he is going to have to do. Not that he does not have playmaking ability, because he does, but his ability to process quicker and get the ball out of his hands and eliminate lost yardage plays is going to be huge for us to be able to stack plays and score, which is ultimately the number one thing here.