Despite a stellar final year at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders slipped to the fifth round of the 202 NFL Draft, where he was selected by the Cleveland Browns. He’s been listed as QB4 in Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room for most of the offseason, though reports on his play have been overwhelmingly positive. Last week, he finally got the chance to prove himself in front of a real crowd during the Browns’ preseason opener.
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Sanders started and played for nearly three quarters, going 14-for-23 for 138 yards and delivering two pinpoint touchdown strikes as the Browns cruised to a 30-10 win. None of the quarterbacks he’s competing with were active (Tyler Huntley played the final stretch), but it was still a very encouraging start.
ESPN pundit Dan Orlovsky was especially impressed, noting that Sanders showed several improvements in the game against the Carolina Panthers in areas that had been weaknesses coming out of college. The former NFL backup QB highlighted a few of those surprising traits from Sanders’ performance.
“Comfort and control. But I think the thing that you saw that maybe weren’t standouts in college were, 1. played really fast. And then 2. very little panic,” the QB-turned analyst said on Get Up.
Orlovsky then broke down a handful of Sanders’ big plays from the game. The common thread throughout the clips was quick decision-making and confidence in stepping up in the pocket, as well as his trademark accuracy.
“Sometimes in college, Shedeur would just play slow to a point, or run away and retreat. Now, there were moments of that. But I just thought, watching him, he did some things, even in one game, that were somewhat question marks coming out of college that you have to be so encouraged about… No question he has to be getting starting reps this week.”
Shedeur
1) Control and comfort
2) Played fast
3) Didn’t panic@GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/auXW7JJXeX— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) August 11, 2025
After that performance, it makes sense for Sanders to get a few more big-time reps at practice this week. Orlovsky has been adamant that the Browns should start one of their rookies this season. Whether it’s Sanders or third-rounder Dillon Gabriel.
“And what we saw from Shedeur, coming off the reports from the summer. Everything out of camp has been- Shedeur had another really good day, Shedeur’s been really good, Shedeur was the best quarterback in camp,” Orlovsky continued his praise on First Take.
“He looked like a guy that should be getting an opportunity to say, ‘Nope, you’re actually not good enough.’ If I were the Browns, he would be getting reps with the starters this week… Prove to me you can’t do it,” he added.
"He proved to me that he's absolutely demanding of more reps with the second and first teams."
—@danorlovsky7 on Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/7dU3udcAZh
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 11, 2025
It’s unlikely we’ll see much of 40-year-old Joe Flacco during this preseason. The Browns will want to showcase their younger QBs to determine who is the frontrunner to overtake Flacco when he inevitably cedes the job. It also gives other teams a chance to scout their talent for potential trade moves.
Kenny Pickett and Gabriel likely would have played on Friday, but both were held out as they work through hamstring issues. They better hope those injuries don’t keep them out too long, however. One or two preseason performances like that from Shedeur Sanders, and he could leapfrog them both in the depth chart.
