Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders doesn't deserve to be under the most pressure of any rookie this season. But by way of being a Sanders, experiencing a historic fall, landing in a dysfunctional organization, and bringing some headlines onto himself, the football world will be tuned into NFL Network on Friday night.
Sanders will be starting for Cleveland against the Carolina Panthers. The deck will be stacked against him. Neither Jerry Jeudy nor Cedric Tillman will suit up for the festivities, but the Panthers will be sending their starters.
With Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel ahead of Sanders on the depth chart, merely making the roster should be considered a success. His first game action could go a long way in forcing Cleveland's hand.
Sanders' work is cut out for him
The most important thing Sanders can do on Friday is avoid disaster. That's not football rocket science, but with so many eyes on his performance, an act of self-destruction would quickly become the talk of training camp.
The game, of course, doesn't count. However, this is the August Super Bowl for the national media. A multi-turnover performance could be catastrophic. Sanders doesn't need to look far and away better than any other passer on Friday. If he merely looks the part and gives himself something to build off of, the absence of a story works to his benefit.
Sanders' profile hinges on his intangibles. He doesn't have the biggest arm, nor is he the most athletic passer. He's supposed to play point guard -- limiting turnovers, avoiding sacks out of structure, and being just aggressive enough to add upside to the game manager moniker. If he's not winning with his tools, he has to win between the ears, meaning Friday cannot be too fast for him.
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One area where that might come through is in his pre-snap operation. Sanders hasn't had a ton of reps with the starters and will likely be working with a patchwork lineup of first- and second-string options up front and out wide. While not entirely in his control, it will be important for the Browns to limit pre-snap penalties. Sanders making plays out of structure would be nice, but he isn't going to get regular-season playing time if he can't operate the offense in rhythm. Keeping the offensive train on the tracks is imperative, even if Cleveland doesn't light up the scoreboard in Carolina.
Lastly, Sanders' athleticism is among his biggest question marks. Nobody expects him to run wild on Friday and showcase some significant impact on the ground game. Still, this will be his first game action against NFL-level athletes.
Browns fans should be watching him both within the pocket and on the occasional scramble. If his athleticism looks closer to league average than a liability, it would be fairly meaningful for his viability in his quest for playing time.
Proving he has startable tools and as-advertised processing while being in control of the offense can all happen without some show-stopping performance. With so much attention spent on a preseason opener, quieting the noise could be a blessing for Sanders' first impression.
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