Shedeur Sanders made his Cleveland Browns debut Friday against the Carolina Panthers. The fifth-round rookie was granted a rare opportunity to start the first preseason game despite being listed as the team’s fourth-string quarterback.
Sanders’ opportunity came with both Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel dealing with hamstring injuries and Kevin Stefanski preferring to sit 40-year-old Joe Flacco in the first preseason game. The Colorado product was given a chance to play almost three quarters of the game before making way for Tyler Huntley.
How did Sanders do in his preseason debut? USA TODAY Sports is grading Sanders’ performance from Cleveland’s 30-10 win in preseason Week 1.
Grading Shedeur Sanders’ Browns debut
Sanders did not disappoint in extensive action during his Browns preseason debut. He kept Cleveland’s offense moving throughout the game and showcased the skills many believed would make him an early-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Throughout Friday’s contest, Sanders read the field well and demonstrated sharp accuracy. He was able to deliver pinpoint passes to his receivers on several occasions and notable threaded the needle to receiver Kaden Davis on his first touchdown of the game.
Sanders zipped the pass by two defenders and put the ball perfectly in Davis’ path to get Cleveland on the board.
Sanders also showed a great ability to navigate the pocket during Friday’s action as well. He routinely scrambled away from pressure and even had a 10-yard first-down scramble in the first half.
Perhaps more impressively, Sanders showed an ability to navigate the pocket while positioning himself to make throws. Notable, he remains calm amid pressure on his second touchdown pass of the day. He avoided panic, allowing his running back to make a nice pick-up in pass protection, which gave Sanders the time needed to once again find Davis for a score.
Sanders only showed one significant concern during his preseason debut. One of the ways he sought to avoid sacks was to fall back further in the pocket. That resulted in him dropping well back behind the line of scrimmage (10-15 yards) on several occasions while trying to scramble around oncoming defenders.
Despite this, Sanders was sacked just twice. However, he also failed to convert a fourth-and-1, in part, because of his attempts to escape backward; and as Caleb Williams learned last season, it isn’t always easy to escape oncoming rushers while fading back against higher-caliber NFL defenses.
Nonetheless, Sanders’ debut went about as well as anyone could have reasonably expected. His ability to entirely avoid turnovers will certainly encourage Kevin Stefanski, and it could afford Sanders an opportunity to challenge for a role higher up on Cleveland’s unsettled quarterback depth chart.
Shedeur Sanders debut grade: B+
Shedeur Sanders stats vs. Panthers
Below is a look at Sanders’ stats from his first NFL preseason action:
Completions/Attempts: 14/23
Passing yards: 138 yards
Passing touchdowns: 2
Passer rating: 106.8
Interceptions: 0
Fumbles (Lost): 0
Rushing yards: 19 (four carries)
Sacks: 2