Shedeur Sanders is the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback … for Week 1 of the preseason.
The fifth-round rookie will start in the Browns’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Friday, Cleveland.com reported. Sanders is also reportedly expected to get first-team reps during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Panthers.
The Browns’ decision to start Sanders in their preseason opener comes as they’ve been dealing with multiple injuries at quarterback. Kenny Pickett and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel both recently suffered hamstring injuries, while the Browns plan to sit Joe Flacco for Friday’s game.
As a result of the recent injuries to Pickett and Gabriel, the Browns signed quarterback Tyler Huntley on Tuesday.
If Sanders takes the field with the Browns’ starting offense on Wednesday, it’ll mark the first time in training camp he’s taken first-team reps. He’s practiced with the second- and third-team offenses in camp, and he was listed as the fourth-string quarterback when the Browns released their first unofficial depth chart on Monday.
Sanders was also briefly sidelined in camp due to injury. He didn’t participate in team drills in Saturday’s practice because of arm soreness, but was back in team drills for Monday’s practice.
While Sanders hasn’t played Cleveland’s top offensive unit yet, he has gotten some reps against his team’s top defensive unit. He took snaps with the second-team offense against the first-team defense in the Browns’ practice on July 30, completing 2 of 3 passes.
The Browns haven’t named a starting quarterback yet. However, the 40-year-old Flacco is viewed as the favorite for the job, receiving the most first-team reps to this point. The fact that he’s sitting out the preseason opener might also be an indicator that Flacco is the favorite for the job.
As for Sanders, he’s likely battling for a roster spot based on his placement on the unofficial depth chart and his practice reps. When sharing why he told his father, Deion Sanders, why he doesn’t want him at Browns practice yet, Sanders told reporters that he doesn’t feel he’s where he needs to be with his play quite yet.
“I don’t want him coming to see me right now because I want to get to where I want to go, then for him to see me,” Sanders told reporters on Monday. “I don’t want him to come and see me get a couple reps, and he is cheering like a good dad. Like, nah, you can’t be proud of me right now. I got to get to where I’m going, and I know it’s a lot I got to do to get there.
“It’s kind of like I just want everything that I’m doing is just focus on this time, and I don’t want no distractions because we know how the media, we know how everybody would take it and take away from the team, just from him being my own dad showing up. So, it is a gift and a curse at the same time.”
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