Shedeur Sanders impresses in his Browns preseason debut

All eyes in Cleveland were on Shedeur Sanders on Friday night, as the fifth-round rookie quarterback got the starting nod in the Browns preseason kickoff against the Carolina Panthers.

The polarizing Sanders made those eyes bright and excited with an impressive performance in Cleveland's 30-10 win in Charlotte.

Sanders, who hadn't taken any first-team reps at QB before getting the start on Friday, was poised, accurate and quite effective at the helm.

He completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts, netting 138 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 19 yards.

At least two of his passes were dropped by Browns receivers.

Beyond the stats, Sanders played very well with his decision-making, his ability to run Kevin Stefanski's ball control offense and his ability to handle pressure--from the defense and from many vociferous critics just waiting for him to fail.

This is an impressive Sunday throw to WR Kaden Davis for a touchdown:zipped it right in there#CLEvsCAR on NFLN, @WEWS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/wQo5ehWbV2 Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 9, 2025As Cory Kinnan from Browns Wire noted, Sanders was really dialed in outside the highlight plays, too,Some of his more impressive throws were not his scoring plays, either.

Backed up inside his own 10, Sanders threw a dart from the endzone over the middle to convert a third-and-long.

Right before the half on his second scoring drive, Sanders got on the move, evaded pressure, and layered a nice football down the sideline to Kent State alum Luke Floriea for a big gain.Sanders is battling with third-round pick Dillon Gabriel (who didn't play due to injury), veteran Kenny Pickett (also DNP with an injury) and venerable vet Joe Flacco in a four-way contest to earn Cleveland's starting QB role.

Given his first real chance at running the show, Sanders put his best foot forward.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Shedeur Sanders impresses in his Browns preseason debut.

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