The word around the Cleveland Browns camp early on was that Shedeur Sanders wasn’t getting any first-team reps. At times during practice, Sanders was seen off to the side, throwing to equipment staff rather than his teammates—a clear sign of his role.
“Shedeur Sanders apparently is throwing not to receivers but to equipment guys. They have got equipment guys snapping him the ball and then also running the routes. Mahomes is throwing to Kelce, Shedeur is throwing to equipment guys,” ESPN Cleveland’s Aaron Goldhammer said.
Despite this, Sanders still has a sizable following—and for good reason. ESPN’s NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins made it clear that Sanders has brought the most star power for a rookie in Cleveland since LeBron James.
“Shedeur got a preseason game feeling like a playoff opener. Like I said, most star power for a Rookie in Cleveland since Lebron,” Perkins posted.
Sanders started in the preseason opener and played impressively for the Browns. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin believes he has worked his way up the depth chart.
“The Browns invested two draft picks in quarterbacks this year: a third-rounder on Gabriel and a fifth-rounder on Sanders. That means we'd expect them to prioritize both of those rookies over Pickett, if the competition is tight. But there's no ability like availability, and Gabriel also missed the preseason opener due to injury. Cleveland may like his short-area accuracy, but if Sanders keeps it up this preseason, he may well lock up the No. 2 job behind Flacco to start the year,” Benjamin wrote.
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USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz sees Sanders gaining renewed relevance in the QB room.
“But even though a starting spot any time early in the fall is likely out of reach, he has renewed relevance in the quarterback room and gave Cleveland strong incentive to keep giving him looks in both the rest of the summer and down the stretch of his rookie season,” Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote.
Sanders’ performance against the Panthers silenced many doubters and even changed the coaching staff’s perspective. While he may not be ready now, it feels likely he will be at some point during the regular season. If he continues to impress, there’s no reason for the Browns not to give him a start later in the year.