The Cleveland Browns got their first look at rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Friday night in their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Not only did they get their first look at Sanders, they got their first look at a player who could be their long-term franchise quarterback. No one should overreact after one preseason game, but he looked the part of a legitimate NFL quarterback.
Sanders has powered through a lot of criticism over the last few months. He also went through a brutal slide in the 2025 NFL Draft, falling all the way to the fifth round where the Browns finally ended his drop.
In his NFL debut, Sanders completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 138 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also picked up 19 yards on four rushing attempts.
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Following his big preseason debut, Sanders received a powerful message from South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley.
Staley took to social media to send her message.
“Super happy for @ShedeurSanders!” Staley wrote. “You can try to break a young fella’s spirit but you can’t touch his talent! Do the damn thing Shedeur!!!”
That message could not describe what Sanders has done so far in the NFL better. He has persevered through media scrutiny, clear doubt from league executives, and extremely high expectations and hype.
Granted, there is a lot of work left for him to do. There is not a very good chance that he will win the Week 1 starting job. He might even begin the season last on the quarterback depth chart.
Regardless of where he begins the season, Sanders will continue working. He is not going to stop working to prove everyone who doubts him wrong.
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Despite going through such a rough slide in the draft, there was no denying the talent that Sanders had shown in college. He was an absolute superstar with the Colorado Buffaloes. Now, he’s simply showing that ability on an NFL field.
It will be interesting to see what the rest of the preseason has in store for Sanders. Cleveland will have both Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel getting back on the field in the near future. Hopefully, the Browns still give Sanders a good chunk of playing time.
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