Welcome to the Shedeur Sanders show.
The first full week of the NFL preseason will feature 16 games and one of the most intriguing ones will be happening in Charlotte on Friday where the Carolina Panthers will be hosting the Cleveland Browns.
A big reason this game is so intriguing is because it will mark the NFL debut of Sanders, who famously dropped all the way down to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft before the Browns swooped in to take him with the 144th overall pick.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed this week that Sanders will be getting the start for Cleveland.
With the start of the regular season less than a month away, the Browns still have no idea who their starting quarterback is going to be in Week 1. Sanders is currently in a four-way QB battle with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. A big reason Sanders is starting is because no one else is available. Pickett (hamstring) and Gabriel (hamstring) have both been dealing with injuries and the Browns didn’t want to send the 40-year-old Flacco out on to the field.
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What this all means is that Sanders, who’s currently listed as the fourth QB on the depth chart, will have a chance to take a huge step forward in the Browns’ quarterback competition.
Here’s how you can watch Friday’s game.
Where to watch and stream
- Date: Friday, August 8
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
- TV: NFL Network | Stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!)
Sanders is expected to play roughly 50 snaps, according to Stefanski. That’s a high number of snaps for a preseason starter, but the reason Sanders will be seeing so much playing is because the Browns are only planning to play two quarterbacks. There’s Sanders and then there’s Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, who was literally just signed on Tuesday.
“Shedeur and Snoop will be the quarterbacks who are playing in this game,” Stefanski said this week. “We’ll get Snoop back up to speed quickly. He’s been in a couple of different offenses since we last saw him, so, he’s doing a great job of working at it.”
Sanders had an extremely successful college career at Colorado that saw him throw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns during his final season in 2024. Although Sanders was solid in college, he hasn’t quite made his mark with the Browns yet. During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Sanders didn’t get any reps with the first team offense. Since the start of training camp, he has actually gotten a few first team reps, but nothing substantial.
The game against the Panthers will give him a chance to make a statement in the QB competition.
“He’s excited,” Stefanski said of Sanders. “And he knew he was going to play a good bit in these preseason games. The competitor in him is very excited.”
Sanders has made some solid throws in training camp and now, we’ll see if that translates into a game situation.
The Browns won’t have many starters playing against the Panthers, so Sanders will be throwing to second- and third-team guys, but if he plays well, it could give Stefanski something to think about going forward.
The deck will certainly be stacked against Sanders on Friday night: The Browns won’t have many starters playing against the Panthers, so Sanders will be throwing to second- and third-team guys and he’ll be going up against a Carolina defense that WILL be playing it starters. If Sanders plays well, it could give Stefanski something to think about going forward. It’s sink or swim time for Sanders, who has a serious chance to prove that he has what it takes to be a starting QB in the NFL.
