CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns quarterback, did not disappoint in his highly anticipated NFL debut.
Sanders, son of American football legend Deion Sanders, started and threw two touchdown passes in the first half, in the Browns’ 30-10 preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.
Sanders’ first annotation pass was for 7 yards to wide receiver Kaden Davis, on the first play of the second quarter, connecting the ball in the corner of the end zone. Cleveland’s offense capitalized on a short field after the Browns recovered a missed punt in the red zone, converting their fourth possession into points. The touchdown sparked a quick celebration from Sanders’ father on social media.
Sanders stated that he wasn’t nervous and added that his good moments in the second quarter were due to “simply feeling comfortable”. “Did I play up to the level? No, I don’t feel like I did,” he said. “But overall, the main goal was to win, and that’s honestly what we did.” The Browns sat most of their starters on Friday night, so Sanders took the field with a group of second- and third-string players he’s been practicing with throughout training camp. The Panthers played most of their starters for about two series.“I feel comfortable being uncomfortable, that’s just how it is,” Sanders said. “I had moments where I found my rhythm and I have to get into that quicker, no matter what. But overall, I felt like myself out there, and I couldn’t do it, of course, without the time. I couldn’t do it without the play calling. I couldn’t do it without anything”.
Shedeur Sanders
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 the 144th overall pick. He was the second quarterback Cleveland chose, after Dillon Gabriel, who was selected in the third round. In the first three weeks of training camp, Sanders has been the QB4 in the Browns’ quarterback competition, getting practice reps behind Gabriel, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett. Sanders has not received any reps with the first-team offense. However, the Browns sat Flacco, who has taken the majority of the first-team reps, and Pickett and Gabriel were sidelined with hamstring injuries, paving the way for Sanders to start on Friday. Stefanski said he expects Pickett and Gabriel to be able to fully participate in a couple of joint practices with the Eagles in Philadelphia next week. Stefanski did not commit after the game on how Sanders’ performance would impact the quarterback competition.“I’m pleased with Shedeur, pleased with the offense,” said coach Kevin Stefanski. “Again, it’s not perfect. There’s a lot we can work on. But I think the guys did a really good job with Shedeur operating, the guys making plays. So, again, a lot to teach.”
Kevin Stefanski
“We’re really just focused on developing our players. We’re in evaluation mode,” Stefanski said. “I’m happy with where the guys are, but I’m not going to dive into a quarterback competition.”
Kevin Stefanski
