Sanders Shines In Impressive NFL Preseason Debut

It has been a very rocky few months for Shedeur Sanders. At one point, he was considered the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. However, he dropped to the 5th round to the Cleveland Browns and even got prank-called. Sanders needed to start shining with the five QBs on the roster and to provide a confidence booster for himself. Well, in the Browns’ first preseason game against the Panthers, he shone.

Sanders Got Plenty Of Time To Play

Luckily, Sanders got plenty of playing time against the Carolina Panthers. Kenny Pickett, Dillion Gabriel, and Deshaun Watson are all injured. Joe Flacco was healthy, but the Browns played it safe and had him sit out this game. The Browns did sign Tyler “Snoop” Huntley to a contract, but he is just a camp arm until either Pickett or Gabriel gets healthy. Sanders played a majority of the snaps as a result and, in three full quarters of play, was a fun sight to watch.

Statistical Performance

Through the three quarters, he put up solid numbers. He was 14-of-23 with 138 passing yards and two touchdowns. A big positive was that Sanders did not commit any turnovers and looked poised in the pocket. The two touchdowns he threw in the game were solid. It is also a positive sign that he only got sacked 2 times in this game. A big red flag was taking too many sacks in Colorado, and he showed improvement.

The more impressive was the first one to Kaden Davis. Sanders brought the wow factor with how he threw the football through tight coverage and accurately to Davis. He never panicked and made smart decisions all game for the Browns.

A Great Start For Sanders

With this impressive performance, Sanders is under consideration for the starting job. His true test will be next week against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have a stacked team, and it will be a much more challenging game.

Carolina was sloppy during the game, both on offense and defense. Philadelphia won’t be. If the Browns’ offense played like it did against Carolina, then this franchise may have something here. The performance has been strongly positive, and fans will have more eyes on him against Philadelphia.