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The Cleveland Browns open the preseason against the Carolina Panthers, and they are dealing with some injuries as they prepare for the game. The Browns are dealing with a few injuries to their quarterback room, with Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel coping with injuries. With Joe Flacco resting, the Browns are starting Shedeur Sanders in a massive opportunity to show off his skills in the NFL.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talked to the media about the offense’s performance against the Panthers and how many snaps Sanders will play before resting, and Tyler Huntley coming in for the rest of the game after signing with the Browns due to the injuries that Gabriel and Pickett suffered. On team radio, Stefanski mentioned that they are eyeing about 50 plays to see how Sanders performs.
“50 plays of game work, which I think will be great for him,” Stefanski said.
“He’s excited,” Stefanski said of Sanders earlier in the week. “He knew he would play a good bit in these preseason games. The competitor in him is very excited.”
The first preseason game is a chance for teams to see what they have in their backups and what the rest of the roster looks like. If starters play, it will likely be next week after the Browns see what they have and try to get more starters acclimated to a game week.
Sanders’ circumstances for starting are more strange than expected due to the injuries that popped up with Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. Neither is serious, but the Browns are cautious and holding them out for now. Despite a lack of first-team reps from Sanders, this is his first opportunity to run an NFL game plan, even if it might be more vanilla than the Browns would run by Week 1.
“My expectations for Shedeur are no different than the rest of the guys, honestly,” Stefanski said. “We expect him to go operate. When you get into these preseason games, please keep it simple so guys can play fast. Our players know all concepts; do not overthink, and play ball.”
The 2025 fifth-round pick out of Colorado was a projected first-round pick and, by some standards, was seen as a slam-dunk pick in the top-10, but he fell to the Browns in the fifth round. His 2024 season at Colorado was his best in college, and he completed 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions.
This is a massive start for Sanders, and it might be the first step in cementing himself as a viable quarterback in the NFL despite being a rookie.
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