Shedeur Sanders didn’t have to wait long to get a taste of NFL action albeit, it was ‘only’ preseason. He debuted for the Cleveland Browns against the Carolina Panthers and had more than just a promising start. His on-field numbers were recognized by staunch Browns fans and his off-field numbers were appreciated by the likes of Dwyane Wade.
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Sanders was recently listed as the fourth string quarterback for the Browns. Ahead of him were vets, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with fellow rookie, Dillon Gabriel. Opportunity occurs when preparation meets luck and the ever-prepped Sanders got his big break early on.
Starting QB Flacco was sidelined by the Browns for the preseason opener while Pickett and Gabriel have had to deal with injuries. In the time he was given as QB, Sanders put up an impressive 138 yards, completing 14-23 passes. These resulted in 2 TDs along with 0 interceptions.
His numbers off the field were even more impressive. According to the NFL, 2.237 million people tuned into watch the fifth rounder. This is the highest for a preseason game since 2015. Bank of America’s stadium capacity is 75,525 and in attendance, for a preseason, were 71,205.
NBA star, Dwyane Wade, took notice of this and wrote, “Big Business!” on his Instagram story to further reaffirm Sanders’ box office nature. “I don’t want to hear that ‘it’s only preseason’ bs. ‘Cause if he was out there not going in, y’all would be on his a** about it!” said Lebron James after Browns-Panthers.
Wade on IG pic.twitter.com/vTUafd3P7H
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) August 14, 2025
Wade has been supportive of Shedeur for quite some time now. “He needs to be confident at that position that he plays. That is the number one position in football. All I’ve seen him do is win. And learn.”
The flack that Shedeur garners comes from his confident, almost cocky personality that he’s cultivated in the four years he spent at Jackson State and Colorado. Wade is right in that QBs need to have the utmost confidence in themselves as they engine that fuel whole offenses.
Unfortunately, Sanders won’t be able to continue his showcase this coming week after the 30-10 victory due to an oblique injury he sustained during practice. However, he has put the world on notice and as a fourth-stringer, that’s all you can really do until you get another chance.
