Browns QB Shedeur Sanders’ debut: Live tracking every pass, decision

The Cleveland Browns kick off preseason action with a matchup with the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Around the NFL, all eyes are on Browns starting QB Shedeur Sanders against the Panthers. The time that the word “starter” comes before Sanders’ name could be very limited or could be the first of many.

With the vanilla looks that come with preseason action, Sanders has a chance to put some quality tape together in Carolina. It may not have a huge impact on Cleveland’s QB competition right away, but with Joe Flacco not playing and Kenny Pickett being joined by Dillon Gabriel in dealing with hamstring issues, Sanders has a chance to really establish himself as a potential option.

With Sanders expected to get about 50 snaps, we will be tracking each pass and decision he makes with the football in a running blog. Without knowing the plays, protections and goals of each play, we will only be able to evaluate based on what we see on television. The All-22 film will likely show a lot more detail.

Refresh this post throughout the game to see what the Browns’ young quarterback is doing in his first NFL action.

2nd and 5, 27-yard line

• Incomplete
• Slightly late, too high and too hard

3rd and 5, 27-yard line

• Complete
• On time, on target
• Receiver bobbled the ball leading to 4th down, half a yard short of the 1st

NEXT POSSESSION

1st and 10, 39-yard line

• Good timing and use of eyes on the screen pass that went for 15 yards

1st and 10, 46-yard line

• First deep pass from Sanders, the ball is delivered near the sideline in what seemed to be a good position but Diontae Johnson was knocked to the ground

3rd and 9, 45-yard line

• Empty protection with quick pressure, Sanders drifted slightly right, then took off on a scramble for a 10-yard gain
• Smartly slid at the end of the play after getting a 1st down
• Good use of his legs and quick decision-making

2nd and 12, 37-yard line

• More pressure and is able to escape out to his left
• Settled back into throwing position but failed to deliver a good pass to a wide-open Dylan Sampson

3rd and 12, 37-yard line

• Quick decision to hit Jamari Thrash for 11 yards
• Good decision and ball placement that gave Thrash a chance to almost get the 1st down

4th and 1, 26-yard line

• Almost immediate pressure leads Sanders to turn his back to the line of scrimmage to try to escape, but he is not able to and puts himself in position to be sacked with a big loss
• All-22 will be interesting to see if he had anyone available immediately
• Was able to get the ball out for an incompletion in a throw that was close to intentional grounding
• His desire to go backward with the quick pressure is concerning...