Jalen Hurts Details 'Lengthy' Conversation With Shedeur Sanders After Joint Practice

The reigning Super Bowl MVP spoke with Sanders for a while after the Browns and Eagles held joint practice.
Jalen Hurts spoke with Shedeur Sanders after Browns-Eagles joint practice on Wednesday.
Jalen Hurts spoke with Shedeur Sanders after Browns-Eagles joint practice on Wednesday. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Browns and Eagles are holding joint practice together this week ahead of their preseason clash on Saturday. After it wrapped up, cameras captured Philadelphia star Jalen Hurts in a deep discussion with Shedeur Sanders, the fifth-round rookie battling for a spot on Cleveland's QB depth chart.

Hurts was asked about their conversation by the media and gave some insight into what he told Sanders, who missed a good chunk of practice due to an oblique injury.

"I'll keep the conversation intimate," Hurts said. "We had a very lengthy conversation and he came to me and just, you know, wanted to talk. And I'm always there. I said earlier, giving my perspective on what I see and how I go about things. Ultimately it takes a great deal of patience and hard work and a sense of resilience. You got to want it. So I'm supporting him from where I am and I wish him nothing but the best with his opportunities."

After the conversation the two took a cart ride back to the locker rooms.

There are certainly worse options for Sanders to ask advice from. Hurts was a second-round pick who joined a team featuring Carson Wentz under center at a time when he was the presumed franchise quarterback in Philly. But Hurts put in the work and took advantage of Wentz getting benched in his rookie year to permanently take the starting job. Now he's a reigning Super Bowl MVP.

It's not exactly the same situation Sanders finds himself in, but the similarity that matters is simple: Hurts wasn't handed the keys to the starting job from Day 1, just like Sanders. He had to earn it.

If Sanders takes Hurts's advice to heart maybe he'll follow a similar path and wind up starting by the end of the season.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.