Shedeur Sanders put the blister talk to rest himself. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns quarterback confirmed he’s dealt with a blister on his throwing hand — but said it’s no longer bothering him heading into a critical stretch of the Deshaun Watson quarterback competition.
“No, that happened this past offseason getting back into it, just from throwing a lot,” Sanders said, according to Yahoo Sports. “That was a thing, I would say, at the start of training camp and everything that we just had to work through and be able to figure out.”
The comments came after days of chatter around Berea. Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN posted Wednesday that Sanders had discussed the injury after practice: “Browns QB Shedeur Sanders said he got a blister on his hand from throwing a lot in the offseason.” —
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders said he got a blister on his hand from throwing a lot in the offseason.
Sanders said he had to “work through” it at the beginning of training camp. pic.twitter.com/8noVDtb5DZ
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 12, 2026
The story had been building since Tuesday, when Jonathan Peterlin of Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan first reported hearing from people around Sanders that he was managing the issue. Peterlin, on-site at camp, pushed back on criticism of Sanders’ ball placement. According to Heavy, Peterlin said the blister could explain why some of Sanders’ throws lacked a tight spiral. Sanders’ media manager, Hellion Boog Knight, also addressed a fan’s photo of the quarterback’s taped finger on X, confirming the blister was on his throwing hand, per Yardbarker.
None of it showed up on an injury report. Sanders never missed a practice.
A Timely Update Before the QB Battle Reaches Its First Checkpoint
Sanders is fighting for the starting job against Watson, and every camp rep gets picked apart. Head coach Todd Monken hasn’t named a Week 1 starter, but he’s indicated both quarterbacks will get preseason snaps to make the case. Cleveland opens its preseason Saturday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, kicking off at 1 p.m. ET.
Sanders is expected to see real playing time in that game as he tries to build on an uneven rookie year. He started seven games in 2025, completing 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions — a 68.1 passer rating, according to NFL.com. He also added 169 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
| Category | Shedeur Sanders — 2025 |
|---|---|
| Starts | 7 |
| Completion % | 56.6% |
| Passing Yards | 1,400 |
| Passing TD–INT | 7–10 |
| Passer Rating | 68.1 |
| Rushing Yards / TD | 169 / 1 |
Cleveland hired Monken in late January to replace Kevin Stefanski, who was fired after a 5-12 season. Monken inherited an unsettled quarterback room — Watson, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel all on the roster — and has said the decision on a starter will come with input from what he sees in preseason games, not just camp reps.
Watson, meanwhile, is working back from a torn Achilles that cost him the entire 2025 season. That absence, combined with a well-documented injury history, has fueled outside arguments that the job should go to Sanders regardless of what camp battles show on paper.
None of that settles anything Saturday. A blister — healed or not — was never going to decide a quarterback competition this significant. But it became a storyline anyway, and Sanders chose to close it out publicly rather than let it linger into game week.
