The Cleveland Browns will take the field for the first time on Friday.
They’ll play the Carolina Panthers in their preseason opener, and, as expected, projected starters won’t play much or at all.
The Browns have said that Shedeur Sanders will start at quarterback, and NFL analyst Peter Schrager urged the rookie to showcase his skills.
“Go and win the job!” Schrager said.
"Go and win the job!"@PSchrags says Shedeur Sanders is in the perfect spot to compete for the starting role 😤 pic.twitter.com/uEKkL8Apk1
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) August 5, 2025
Sanders reportedly has gotten the fewest first-team reps but has been the most efficient QB at Browns training camp.
Now, he will have a prime opportunity to show that he should be higher on the depth chart.
“I’m perked up! This is the Shedeur effect. I didn’t anticipate this. Shedeur’s gonna play. Shedeur’s gonna play a preseason game, and he’s gonna have an opportunity to do it on a national stage. If you told me some other fifth-round pick playing for some other team was starting, I wouldn’t even care,” Schrager said, via NFL on ESPN.
Granted, this is the preseason, and whatever he does would be against backups and third-stringers, some of whom may not even make the Panthers’ roster.
Yet, it’s not like the Browns’ quarterback race is impressive or stacked with talent, and playing well against Carolina would put even more pressure on Cleveland to give him a fair chance to win the starting job.
It makes sense that Sanders is QB4 because of where he was taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he might be their only quarterback with true upside.
It’s unusual to see a preseason game draw big ratings, but expect that to be the case on Friday.
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