Listed as fourth-string on the Browns’ depth chart, Shedeur Sanders got the start vs. the Panthers
He finished 14-for-23 for 138 yards and threw two touchdowns
What does his performance mean for the Browns’ QB competition?
CHARLOTTE, NC – So much for the narrative that Shedeur Sanders was set up to fail.
No, there’s another way to look at this after the fifth-round rookie quarterback essentially aced his test for the Cleveland Browns in their preseason opener on Friday night.
Sanders was hardly perfect while handling a heavy workload in the 30-10 exhibition win against the Carolina Panthers.
But boy was he good. Sanders, 23, threw two touchdown passes to Kaden Davis that looked as if they were guided by laser. He had a few Harry Houdini moments, escaping at least four would-be sacks. He flowed off-script, like on a 30-yard completion that fellow rookie Luke Floriea hauled in with one hand. And he never committed a turnover.
Yet afterward, Sanders (14-of-23, 138 yards, 106.8 passer rating) bemoaned missing on a couple throws that got away.
“Did I play up to par?” he said. “No, I don’t think I did.”
Well, he’s entitled to his opinion, too. So, just imagine what Sanders, listed as fourth-string on the depth chart, might have done if he had worked some practice reps with the starters or the second team. Sanders has yet to have a single rep with the first team during training camp, and has had only a handful with the 2’s. He’s the guy seen during practices working alone on an adjacent field.
With Kenny Pickett and rookie Dillon Gabriel, listed behind Joe Flacco, nursing hamstring injuries, Sanders got his chance to start and shine.
Some suggested he was set up to fail because of his limited practice reps. Sanders, though, has a totally different view.
“I think overall in life, I don’t want anybody to make excuses,” said Sanders, who led college football in completion percentage in his final year playing for his Hall of Fame father, Deion, at Colorado in 2024 – then dominated the news cycle during the three-day NFL draft as his stock tumbled from a projected first-round pick to a Day 3 selection.
Set up to fail?
“You ask God for something. It’s there,” he said. “And you’re going to complain about it? So, it’s two ways you can look at it. You can look at it and be thankful and take full advantage of the opportunity. Or you can look at it like ‘Dang. This is what I’ve been asking for, but I’m not prepared.’ I’ve been able to sleep at night, knowing I was going to be playing. And then I just prepared as normal. Then that switch kicked in. When you’re out there on the field, it feels different. Ball’s ball. Ball has never been a problem for me.”
Sanders may have just played himself into a serious contender for the Browns’ starting job. After all, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has maintained that it’s an “open” competition. And if that’s the case, Sanders, who played 45 snaps on nine series (excluding a kneel-down at the end of the first half), has at least earned the chance to get reps with the 1’s and 2’s.
Stefanski evaded that question when I asked during his postgame news conference and also wouldn’t touch the topic of the competition. The rookie wouldn’t light a match, either.
Sanders: “I just think about when I got out there, doing what I’ve got to do. Everything else is not in my hand, so why worry about it? I just don’t think that deep into everything because it’s nothing you’re going to be able to control. Why put energy into something that you can’t control? The most you can do is hey, man, if you get your opportunity and your number’s called, perform it. At least to the bare minimum to win the game.”
There’s fresh videotape out there now, however, showing Sanders making splash plays like he did at Colorado and demonstrating keen instincts during his big audition. It’s a starting point. Never mind that the Browns didn’t play starters and Carolina played first-teamers for only a couple series.
Ah, social media. Sanders was such a trending topic on Friday night, just as he was during the NFL draft.
His famous father, aka Coach Prime, didn’t hesitate to put out a post amid the buzz.
“What now?” Deion asked on X.
Stefanski and his staff – including Bill Musgrave, the Browns quarterbacks coach who was a teammate of Deion’s on the San Francisco 49ers squad that won Super Bowl 29 – can assess so many layers of Sanders’ performance.
If you wanted to script a test to cover all of the bases, the Browns couldn’t have done much better than compiling the “situational football” scenarios from Friday night. Sanders operated in a nine-play drive and a two-play drive. On another possession, he faced back-to-back third-and-long plays, converting the first one after he rolled out and bolted from the pocket for a 9-yard run. Another time he powered under the pile to convert a quarterback sneak. Both of his TD passes came while positioned in the red zone. Another series had him backed up deep in his own end, then throwing from the end zone. At the end of the half, a hurry-up drill.
Said Stefanski: “The situations were invaluable for Shedeur, for all of our offense.”
Then there’s this other situation, reflecting uncharted territory for Sanders. Someone asked about his patience, given the scant opportunities while buried on the depth chart.
“It’s different things and different life lessons you’ve got to go through,” he said. “And I haven’t gone through this situation that I’m in, ever. So, it’s really just a test from God. I was just thankful that I was able to see the light of day and get out there and play.”
Still, it’s so striking that he produced so much from so few practice reps.
“I’m comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he declared. “That’s what it is. I’ve got pockets of finding my rhythm. I’ve got to get into that quicker, regardless of anything. But overall, I felt like me out there.
“I couldn’t do it without the time, I couldn’t do it without the play-calling,” he added. “So, I’m just thankful to have the joy of just being on the field overall. And carrying the responsibility to do the right thing. So, that’s two badges under my belt already.”
And with that, Sanders re-wrote the narrative.
“My vow is to definitely make change,” he said. “And change was made.”
Which adds some major intrigue to the Browns’ quarterback situation.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media:
On X: @JarrettBell; On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social