Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders showed out during Friday night’s Cleveland Browns preseason opener. The “Grown QB” threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns, tossing 14 completions in 23 pass attempts in a 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.
While it’s not believed to lead to an extended look with the first-team squad during Cleveland’s joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles this coming week, Kenny Pickett’s injury being worse than what’s being widely reported could be the best news for Sanders’ QB1 hopes.
92.3 The Fan’s Spencer German noted a difference in reporting from NFL Network analyst and Browns great Joe Thomas, and the consensus on the ground in North Carolina during joint practices with the Panthers this past week.
If Thomas, who’s still close with the organization post-retirement, is right, Pickett is expected to be out “for a couple more weeks.”
USA Today’s Jacob Camenker deemed Pickett the potential odd man out in Cleveland’s QB room and a “loser” of Sanders’ successful debut.
“Pickett was expected to battle Flacco for Cleveland's starting job. He may find himself wondering how secure his roster spot may be after Sanders' performance,” Camenker wrote.
“As mentioned, the Browns may prefer to keep four quarterbacks on their active roster. After all, Flacco is 40 and may not play much longer, so having a trio of young passers could benefit the team.
“But if not, could Pickett be the odd man out? He was initially viewed as the top competition for Flacco, but with Sanders performing well in the preseason and Pickett missing time due a hamstring injury, the gap between the two could be closing.”
Sanders changed a lot on Friday night. None of it was good for Pickett, whose injury could provide more opportunities for Coach Prime’s youngest son.