Shedeur Sanders will have an extended debut for his first preseason action on Friday night.
Via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told the team’s radio broadcast on Thursday that Sanders will play the majority of the contest against the Panthers.
When it comes to a number of reps, Stefanski said it will translate to about “50 plays of game work, which I think will be great for him.”
Tyler Huntley, who re-signed with the Browns this week, will likely relieve Sanders late in the game.
For reference, the Ravens and Bengals each ran 60 total offensive plays in their respective Thursday exhibition matchups.
Sanders, Huntley, and veteran Joe Flacco are the Browns’ only healthy quarterbacks at the moment. Cabot notes that if rookie Dillon Gabriel weren’t dealing with a hamstring issue, he would likely have started Friday’s contest against the Panthers and played the first half with Sanders taking the second half.
Cleveland is not planning to play its starters on Friday night after going through a joint practice with Carolina earlier this week.
Contrary to some popular sentiment, Sanders is set to play with the players he’s been practicing with throughout the offseason and training camp — like rookie receivers Gage Larvadain and Luke Floriea. With the injuries to Pickett and Gabriel, Sanders has also had more of an opportunity to work with Cleveland’s second-team receivers like Diontae Johnson, Kaden Davis, and DeAndre Carter.
Kickoff between the Browns and Panthers is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on NFL Network.
