According to NFL analyst Jake Trotter, a massive opportunity has come knocking at Shedeur Sanders’ doors, one that he needs to grab with both hands if he wants to stay relevant in the NFL. The Browns announced Sanders as their starting quarterback for the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Friday.
Sanders gets the nod after injuries to fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel and veteran Kenny Pickett. Meanwhile, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco won’t participate in the preseason opener.
Sanders, who will be sharing the snaps with other QB Tyler Huntley, has a chance to prove why he belongs in the NFL. During an appearance on ESPN Cleveland, Trotter explained what Sanders needs to do to turn heads of the Browns management.
“I think it would be very difficult, just based on the way training camp has gone, for Shedeur to pass Dillon Gabriel on the depth chart,” Trotter said. “But listen, if he throws three touchdown passes tonight and looks incredible, then that’s going to reframe the competition. He has a chance to really make a statement tonight, but this alone is not going to decide anything for him, for the Browns, or for the quarterback competition.”
"If he throws 3 touchdowns tonight and looks incredible, that's going to reframe the competition," – @Jake_Trotter on the opportunity for Shedeur Sanders tonight.
Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/lpNFK2RDPJ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 8, 2025
Insider Shrugs Off Claims that Shedeur Sanders Is Getting Set Up to Fail
Shedeur Sanders can’t do any wrong in Friday’s preseason game against the Panthers. He’s already at the bottom of the Browns’ quarterback depth chart and a bad performance here won’t help his situation. On the flip side, if he’s able to do well, the Browns’ coaching staff might consider him making the final 53-man active roster.
Robert Griffin III suspects that the Browns are trying to set up Sanders to fail.
“Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail in Cleveland,” Griffin wrote Monday on X. “But God’s got him showing out even with limited reps.”
Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail in Cleveland. But God’s got him showing out even with limited reps.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 5, 2025
Even outspoken ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith thinks Sanders is being set up for failure. However, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky and NFL insider Mike Florio have dismissed such claims.
“Will everybody stop with the ‘Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail narrative,” Orlovsky said in a video posted to X.
Can this narrative stop? pic.twitter.com/0XwLyuDOnb
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 7, 2025
“Some believe that the Browns, by starting rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in tonight’s preseason opener, are setting him up to fail. But not even the hopelessly dysfunctional Browns-is-the-Browns are that dysfunctional. They drafted him. Why would they want him to fail?” Florio wrote in his column.
It remains to be seen how Sanders performs on Friday against the Panthers.
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