CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders lived up to expectations in his highly anticipated NFL debut.
Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame legend Deion Sanders, threw two touchdown passes in the first half of the preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.
Sanders’ first touchdown pass was a 7-yarder to wide receiver Kaden Davis, completed on the first play of the second quarter. Cleveland’s offense took advantage of a short field after the Browns recovered a missed punt in the red zone. The touchdown unleashed the celebration of his father and former college coach, Deion Sanders, on social media.
Later, Sanders connected again with Davis for a 12-yard touchdown near the end of the first half.
In just under three-quarters of the game, Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, as well as adding 23 rushing yards. Sanders was on the field for 45 plays, before Tyler Huntley entered the game with 2:12 left in the third quarter.
Sanders was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft, before falling to the fifth round, where the Browns selected him with pick number 144. He was the second quarterback Cleveland chose, after Dillon Gabriel, selected in the third round.
In the first three weeks of training camp, Sanders has been QB4, while the Browns maintained a quarterback competition, receiving practice behind Gabriel, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett. However, the Browns decided to release Flacco, who has taken the majority of the reps with the first team, and Pickett and Gabriel were sidelined with hamstring injuries, paving the way for Sanders to start the Browns’ preseason game.
