It doesn’t matter how you get to the NFL. Really, the only thing that matters is what you do when you get there and are given an opportunity. For Shedeur Sanders, who famously fell from a projected top-five pick all the way to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he made the most of his NFL debut and may have just crashed the party in the Cleveland Browns crowded quarterback room.
With veteran Joe Flacco (the presumptive Week 1 starter) resting, along with Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel both sidelined with hamstring injuries, Sanders was given the start in the Browns preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. And the rookie balled out, playing nearly three full quarters. In that time, Sanders completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 138 yards and two touchdowns. On top of that, he had some highlight plays in the exhibition that’ll certainly create enough buzz to warrant consideration to move up the depth chart.
From the jump, Sanders seemed quite comfortable, even if the initial drive was an underwhelming three-and-out. There, Sanders was let down by his pass catchers, with Diontae Johnson dropping his first pass and then Kaden Davis losing field position on third down after double-clutching a reception. While Sanders’ night began with two punts and a turnover on down, he started to heat up in the second quarter.
After a muffed punt gave the Browns the football inside the red zone, Sanders showed nifty footwork, rolling out to his left and throwing a dime to Davis for the first of two touchdowns on the night for the duo.
WATCH: Browns’ Shedeur Sanders tosses first touchdown pass in NFL preseason debut vs. Panthers
Cameron Salerno
Sanders showed poise in the pocket, but was most eye-popping throwing on the run. On that initial touchdown, he showed his ability to roll out to his left. His most impressive throw of the night, however, flashed his ability to roll right two drives later. With a defender in his face, Sanders completed a 30-yard pass to Luke Floriea, who made a tremendous one-handed catch.
While the Sanders hype train is likely already off the rails, it’s fair to point out that it wasn’t a perfect showing. He nearly threw an interception when throwing into traffic on a pass intended for Gage Larvadain in the second quarter. On the following play, Sanders tried to do too much when feeling pressure on his right and scrambled. Instead of throwing the ball away, he ran out of bounds for a loss.
Coming out of the halftime locker room, Sanders also seemed to cool off a touch from his white-hot second quarter. The Browns had back-to-back punts with some shaky command from Sanders, but he and the unit recovered with another touchdown drive with four minutes to go in the third quarter. On that march to the end zone, Sanders completed both of his pass attempts, including a 25-yarder to tight end Brenden Bates.
Even with those nitpicks, it’s hard not to feel encouraged by what Sanders put together on the field on Friday night. And if he continues to stack these types of showings together throughout the summer, it could be enough to make coach Kevin Stefanski seriously consider him for the starting job, whether that be as soon as Week 1 or at some point during the 2025 campaign.
For more on Sanders’ debut, check out the highlights from our live blog below.
