Shedeur Sanders’ preseason debut was possibly the most successful by any rookie quarterback last week. While he didn’t put up crazy numbers, Shedeur did enough to lead the Cleveland Browns to a comfortable 30-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.
In the process, Shedeur Sanders recorded 138 passing yards with two touchdown passes and crucially no interceptions. He also had a respectable 60.8% completion percentage.
No one seems happier than his father, Deion Sanders, who took to Instagram to congratulate him and tell him that, despite not being there physically, he was there in spirit. He also wrote the following message in the caption:
“We might be separate, but we’re still together.”
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With this, the former Colorado man possibly climbed up the ladder, closer to the QB2 position. Throughout the preseason training camp, he has been QB4 for the franchise, seeing no practice snaps with the first-team offense. He mainly took charge of the team’s third offensive unit, and the closest he had been to playing with the first team was leading the second-team offense in one drill against the first-team defense.
While the decision to name him a starter was controversial in some circles, it seems to have worked out fine for both the team and the player. He’s likely being considered more seriously for the backup quarterback position. It remains to be seen what the team decides to do with Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel once they recover from their hamstring injuries. These are the players Sanders skipped over to start on Friday.
Super champion Joe Flacco likely remains the starter for the team in 2025.
Shannon Sharpe on Shedeur Sanders’ style of play
Someone who seemed impressed by Shedeur Sanders’ debut was Shannon Sharpe. However, in a recent episode of “Nightcap”, Sharpe pointed out that it was obvious that Shedeur isn’t a mobile quarterback.
Not this is a problem, as it reminds Sharpe of another famous quarterback.
“That’s not Shedeur. Shedeur is not a mobile quarterback. He’s going to do almost the majority of his damage is going to be in the pocket. Ojo, he’s Tom Brad. Hey, I’m not saying he’s Tom Brady, but he has the athleticism. That’s not what he’s known for. Go ahead. This is the thing that he lacks in athleticism, and the inability to get out of the pocket,” Sharpe said (6:05).
“He has great pocket presence, being able to move and being able to not telegraph but understand when that clock is ticking and when it’s time to get up out of there, right? He can move extremely well within the pocket without having to take sacks. What about the third down? Huh? The third down, where he scrambled, ran the D-line, ran a stunt. He was able to get outside of it. I’d like you to know what I like the most? He saw the stunt and took off immediately,” he added.
Shedeur suffered greatly during his time at college because of the lack of protection from the offensive line. In two seasons at Boulder, he was sacked 94 times. That made him the most sacked signal-caller in college football in that period.
While that speaks of the Colorado offensive line’s weakness, it also speaks about Sanders’ biggest weakness: a lack of mobility. The Browns would do well to protect him in the pocket.
Also Read:
Jaxson Dart Stats: How Did Former Ole Miss Star Fare Compared To Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Debut?
5 Reasons Why Coach Prime’s Son Shedeur Sanders Won’t Start for Browns in 2025 NFL Season
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