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Daniel Oyefusi
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders did not disappoint in his extremely anticipated NFL debut.
Sanders, the son of Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Deion Sanders, received the beginning and threw a pair of first-half landing passes within the Browns’ 30-10, preseason-opening win over the Carolina Panthers on Friday night time.
Sanders threw his first landing on a 7-yard cross to huge receiver Kaden Davis on the primary play of the second quarter, threading the ball via a decent window within the again nook of the tip zone. Cleveland’s offense capitalized on a brief discipline after the Browns recovered a muffed punt deep within the purple zone, changing their fourth possession into factors.
The landing prompted a fast celebration from the elder Sanders on social media.
Sure Lawd! Sure! @ShedeurSanders
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) August 8, 2025
Towards the tip of the primary half, Sanders discovered Davis once more on a landing cross, this time from 12 yards.
In rather less than three quarters, Sanders accomplished 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and he added 19 speeding yards. Sanders was on the sector for 45 performs — Browns coach Kevin Stefanski had stated the rookie would get about 50 snaps — earlier than Tyler Huntley, who was signed Tuesday after a number of quarterback accidents, entered the sport with 2:12 remaining within the third quarter.
“I am comfy with being uncomfortable, so that is what it’s,” Sanders stated. “I received pockets of discovering my rhythm, and I received to get into that faster, no matter something. However total, I felt like me on the market, and I could not do it, after all, with out the time. I could not do it with out the playcalling. I could not do with out something.”
He stated he wasn’t nervous coming in, including that his good moments within the second quarter have been as a result of “simply getting comfy.”
“Did I play as much as par? No, I do not really feel like I did,” he stated. “However total, the principle aim was to win, and that is truthfully what we did.”
The Browns sat the vast majority of their starters Friday night time, so Sanders took the sector with a gaggle of second- and third-string gamers he has practiced with all through coaching camp. The Panthers performed most of their starters for about two drives.
“Happy with Shedeur, happy with the offense,” Stefanski stated. “Once more, not excellent. Lots that we are able to work on. However I assumed the fellows did a very nice job of Shedeur working, the fellows making performs. So once more, a ton to show on.”
Sanders was considered one of many high quarterbacks within the 2025 NFL draft earlier than dropping to the fifth spherical, the place the Browns chosen him with the 144th choose. He was the second quarterback Cleveland took, after Dillon Gabriel, who was picked within the third spherical.
Within the first three weeks of coaching camp, Sanders has been QB4 for the Browns, getting observe reps behind Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Sanders hasn’t obtained any reps with the first-team offense. Nonetheless, the Browns sat Flacco, who has taken a lot of the first-team reps, and Pickett and Gabriel have been sidelined due to hamstring accidents, paving the best way for Sanders to start out Friday.
Stefanski has stated he’s hopeful that Pickett and Gabriel will be capable of absolutely take part in a pair of joint practices with the Eagles in Philadelphia subsequent week.
The coach was noncommittal after the sport on how Sanders’ efficiency would influence the quarterback competitors.
“We’re actually simply centered on growing our gamers. We’re in analysis mode,” Stefanski stated. “I am happy with the place the fellows are, however I am not diving right into a quarterback competitors.”
