After questions about whether the Cleveland Browns would allow Shedeur Sanders to win the starting job, ESPN has now reported that the Colorado product will start the first preseason game of the year for Cleveland. The Browns will take on the Carolina Panthers on Friday, allowing Sanders at least a small opportunity to show what he has. Given the battle in the quarterback room for the Browns right now, it remains uncertain how much he’ll play in the preseason.
“The Cleveland Browns are expected to start rookie Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for the team’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Friday, sources told ESPN,” they wrote.
According to ESPN, the reason that Sanders will start during the first preseason game is due to the hamstring injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. It remains uncertain how long Pickett and Gabriel will sit in games, but this is good for Sanders. They also noted that Joe Flacco’s extensive experience in the league means the Browns already know what they have with him.
“Though Sanders has gotten the fewest reps with the team’s starters so far at training camp, hamstring injuries to both Pickett and Gabriel, and the age and experience of the 40-year-old Flacco may have paved the way for Sanders’ first NFL game action. Flacco has gotten the most reps with the team’s starters at camp,” they added.
Does Shedeur Sanders have pressure on him?
Heading into the first preseason game of the year, the Cleveland Browns quarterback has some pressure on him.
However, according to Sanders’ comments, it doesn’t sound like he’s too worried. According to Men’s Journal, Sanders said that he’s still the same quarterback he once was, and that nothing has changed since his Colorado days.
“Have you watched me in college?” Sanders said, per Jeff Smith. “…I’m still the same guy, nothing happened to me.”
What Does Shedeur Sanders Think About Browns’ Situation
With all the questions surrounding the Cleveland Browns and what they might do with Sanders, it’s tough for him to avoid them.
Multiple reporters have asked him what he thinks the team is doing with him, but Sanders has answered those in a fairly respectful way. He understands that he has a lot of work to do to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but he’s thankful and just wants to do whatever is best for the team right now.
“That’s not my place to answer,” Sanders told reporters Friday, including Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “I feel like it’s not in my control, so I’m not even gonna think about that or have that even in my thought process. There’s a lot of people that wanna have the opportunity to be at this level, and I’m here, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity, so, whatever that is it is.”
“It doesn’t really faze me. You gotta understand, we came all the way from an HBCU to a Power 5 [conference team], and now we here, so,” he continued. “At this point, you look around, there’s nothing that’s a challenge, I would say.”
If Sanders runs away with this opportunity in the first preseason game, he’ll likely have another chance to get a start in the remaining games.
If he continues to prove that he’s the same type of quarterback he was at Colorado, it’s even possible he could find himself with the starting gig.
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