Bad luck for Sanders, who earned significant buzz after a standout, two touchdown home debut against the Cleveland Browns in his first-ever NFL preseason appearance. The 2025 NFL Draft prospect is a player who was once established as one of the elite quarterbacks. His stock dropped to the fifth round before the Browns snatched him up with the 144th overall pick. He walked on to that same field with a team of second- and third-string bandwagoners. His impressive performance quickly turned the heads of fans and coaches alike.
During his debut, which lasted 45 plays, Sanders demonstrated his potential as he connected with Kaden Davis for both of his touchdown passes. The first came on a 7-yard completion at the start of the second quarter, followed by a 12-yard touchdown pass just before halftime. Sanders’ ability to find the end zone highlighted his skill set and adaptability, especially considering he has not yet received any reps with the first-team offense.
Sanders has been operating as QB4 for the Browns during the first few days of training camp. Despite being drafted later than anticipated, he has shown resilience and determination to prove himself. Looking back on his performance, Sanders said he was comfortable on the field.
“I’m comfortable with being uncomfortable, so that’s what it is,” – Shedeur Sanders
Once Sanders got into the flow of the game, as he himself put it, he started to look more and more comfortable. He attributed his success, in addition to time and good playcalling, to being able to survey the field.
“I got pockets of finding my rhythm, and I got to get into that quicker, regardless of anything. But overall, I felt like me out there, and I couldn’t do it, of course, without the time. I couldn’t do it without the playcalling. I couldn’t do without anything.” – Shedeur Sanders
The coaching staff has clearly been very guarded about reading too much into Sanders’ performance, considering the in-house quarterback competition is still ongoing. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear from the outset that the team was in “evaluation mode.” By addressing player development first, they can delay the decision on starting roles until later.
“We’re really just focused on developing our players. We’re in evaluation mode,” – Kevin Stefanski
This is Sanders’ introduction as QB2 for the Browns. This comes on the heels of the team selecting quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round earlier in the draft. Only time will tell how the replacement’s strong performance will affect his standing on the depth chart going forward.
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