Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns had a clear plan for how to handle their quartet of quarterbacks once the preseason schedule got underway.
Veteran Joe Flacco, the presumptive starter who is entering his 18th season in the NFL, would play as little as possible to avoid injury. In his place, the Browns would trot out Kenny Pickett just enough to get a team interested in making a trade, but not so much that teams would remember that he is Kenny Pickett.
From there, it would be left to give rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders playing time so that they could get acclimated to the NFL game for their inevitable regular-season appearances this fall.
Well, we all know about the best-laid plans.
Everything is cool with Flacco, who will be safely on the sidelines tonight when the Browns open the preseason against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. But nagging hamstring injuries to Pickett and Gabriel mean that neither of them will see the field against the Panthers.
That leaves the spotlight on Sanders, who head coach Kevin Stefanski announced earlier this week would get the starting nod. And given that recently signed Tyler Huntley is the only available quarterback, Stefanski plans to go all in with Sanders, as he told Browns radio on Thursday that Sanders will play a majority of the game tonight.
Even though most of the starters will be joining Flacco on the sidelines, this is a great opportunity for Sanders, who can use all the game experience he can get. As the Browns move closer to the start of the regular season, practice reps will become more scarce, so giving Sanders an extended look against the Panthers sounds like a win for everyone involved.
As for Sanders, outside of staying healthy, there are a few things that would be nice to see from him tonight, including:
Accomplish that, and everything else will be gravy.
The Browns and Panthers kick off the preseason tonight at 7 p.m.
What are you most looking for from Shedeur Sanders tonight against the Panthers?
