Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns are in Charlotte this week for a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers as the two teams prepare for Friday night’s preseason opener.
And now we know who will be at quarterback for the Browns as head coach Kevin Stefanski announced this morning that rookie Shedeur Sanders will get the start against the Panthers, according to the team’s website.
While that will send the hype train for Sanders into overdrive, the move is not all that surprising given the current situation with Cleveland’s ever-expanding quarterback room.
“My expectations for Shedeur are not different than the rest of the guys, honestly. We expect him to go operate. When you get into these preseason games, you try and keep it very simple so guys can play fast. All concepts that our players know and not think too much and just play ball.” – head coach Kevin Stefanski
Stefanski said the veteran Joe Flacco, who is probably in line to open the season as the starting quarterback, will not play on Friday, as Stefanski prefers to limit how much he exposes the starters in preseason.
Fellow veteran Kenny Pickett and rookie Dillon Gabriel have been dealing with hamstring injuries that have limited their ability to participate in practice, so Stefanski has ruled them out.
Finally, there is Tyler Huntley, who knows the offense from spending time with the Browns in training camp last year. But he was just signed to the roster on Monday to provide a healthy body, so while he will play on Friday night, there is no need to start him.
This will be a good test for Sanders, who has been doing and saying all the right things since the start of training camp. He hasn’t let a limited amount of reps get him down, and he should see a fair amount of action during today’s joint practice with the Panthers.
Carolina head coach Dave Canales has stated that he plans to play his starters in the first two preseason games, so while the Browns may not be going up against the best the Panthers have on every series, Sanders will have at some time facing players who will actually be part of Carolina’s defense this season.
Friday will be a nice opportunity for Sanders, and there is no doubt that the reaction to his performance will be filled with the level of reasonable analysis that has always surrounded the Browns and their quarterbacks in the preseason.
