Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns open their preseason schedule on Friday night against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The game comes just two days after the teams held a rainy joint practice, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders receiving reps with the first-team offense. With veteran Kenny Pickett and rookie Dillion Gabriel still dealing with hamstring issues, Sanders is getting the starting nod, as head coach Kevin Stefanski generally does not play his starters in the preseason.
Among those starters are wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman, so we’ll have a chance to see how promising UDFAs’ Luke Floriea and Gage Larvadain are coming along.
Sanders is not the only rookie who will be making their debut, as defensive tackle Mason Graham, tight end Harold Fannin Jr., running back Dylan Sampson, and linebacker Carson Schwesinger should also see some playing time.
On the other side, Carolina head coach Dave Canales said on Tuesday that he plans to play his starters in the first two preseason games, so it will be interesting to see how Cleveland’s offense fares against the Carolina starters on defense while they are still in the game.
While it is only the preseason, Browns fans and the nation will be watching to see what Sanders can do in his first action in an NFL game. So here is everything you need to know about the contest.
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Stadium: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
TV: WEWS News 5
Announcers: Chris Rose, Joe Thomas, and Aditi Kinkhabwala (sideline reporter)
Radio: 850 ESPN Cleveland, 92.3 The Fan WKRK, 98.5 WNCX, 89.1 FM La Mega (Español)
Announcers: Andrew Siciliano, Nathan Zegura, and Je’Rod Cherry (sideline reporter)
Weather: 78 degrees and partly cloudy, with a 3 percent chance of rain. Wind from the Northeast at 8 mph.
Odds: Browns +6.5, according to FanDuel.
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“My expectations for Shedeur Sanders are no different than the rest of the guys. Honestly, we expect them to go operate. It’s when you get these preseason games, you try to keep it very simple so guys can play fast. All concepts that our players know can kind of not think too much and just play ball.” – Head coach Kevin Stefanski
What are you looking for from the Browns in their preseason game against the Panthers? Have your say in the comments.
