Shedeur Sanders finally got his day in the sun. In Cleveland’s first exhibition game against the Carolina Panthers, Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, took two sacks, and committed no turnovers over nearly three quarters.
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The real significance, however, lay in how well he handled the challenge of starting despite having had limited high-level practice reps since the start of training camp and all the negative narratives surrounding his NFL storyline.
Shedeur’s performance got a shout-out from the likes of LeBron James and Jamie Foxx, but no one has been more thrilled than his long-time fan, Skip Bayless.
“Shedeur Sanders made the whole National Football League look like a bunch of petty fools. In some cases, racist fools. Tonight at Carolina, Shedeur made all those teams that had a 143 chances to draft him before he went 144. He shamed all of them, including the Cleveland Browns, who finally took him finally in the fifth round,” Bayless said on his YouTube channel.
Skip has been on a rampage against all the Shedeur-naysayers ever since the rookie was picked at a disappointing 144 in the NFL draft. And now, he’s gotten his chance to say ‘I told you so.’
Shedeur truly was a sight to behold as he showcased versatility throughout the game, operating primarily from the shotgun but also taking several snaps under center. He worked in various situations, red-zone opportunities, drives starting near Cleveland’s own goal line, third-and-long, third-and-short, and even a successful quarterback sneak for a first down.
At times, he had to escape heavy pressure, slipping away from at least four potential sacks. In those moments, he thrived off-script, including a highlight play where he rolled out and connected with fellow rookie Luke Floriea on a one-handed, 30-yard catch.
