Shedeur Sanders left a strong impression in his first NFL preseason start for the Browns' opener against the Panthers.
With both Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel managing hamstring injuries, Sanders not only got the start, but an extensive look, playing about two and a half quarters before Tyler Huntley replaced him toward the end of the third quarter.
Sanders and the Browns offense got off to a slow start before a muffed punt by the Panthers landed them in the red zone and sparked their first touchdown. Two plays after the muff, Sanders nicely threw a touchdown between two Panthers defenders to Kaden Davis.
Sanders then appeared to play with even more confidence. On the ensuing drive, he nicely completed a pass on third-and-long while backed up in his own end zone, and during the final drive of the half, he fired a second touchdown to Davis, placing the ball where only his receiver could nab it.
Shedeur Sanders finds Kaden Davis for the TD!
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Shedeur Sanders to Kaden Davis AGAIN for the TD!
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Sanders would lead another touchdown drive in third quarter after the defense forced a Panthers' interception, which culminated in a two-yard touchdown run by Gage Larvadain. He finished the night 14 for 23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall, Sanders looked comfortable operating the offense from multiple situations and looks. He executed under center, while rolling out and off of play-action during the game. He also played well in the red zone, throwing two touchdowns, and also converted several third-and-longs on the night.
Shedeur with a dart on 3rd down 🎯
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Sanders did miss a few throws, including overthrowing running back Dylan Sampson after escaping pressure on the second drive and under throwing Brenden Bates while backed up in their own territory. He did get to flash his mobility by converting a scramble into a first down and escaping pressure multiple times, but some of his chaotic scampers in the backfield likely wouldn't have worked against NFL starting defenses.
Shedeur with the first down scramble!
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Shedeur Sanders with a very entertaining scramble 😅
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Ultimately, this was an important showing for Sanders, who was the fourth quarterback on the Browns unofficial depth chart heading into Friday's game. Due to the Browns' crowded quarterback room, Sanders has seen fewer reps during training camp, so this start allowed him to see plenty of action when it will not be guaranteed going forward in the preseason and regular season.
Though Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he was "pleased" with Sanders's play, he emphasized there was plenty for them to work on and that he would not be talking about the quarterback competition at this point.
This start alone will not guarantee Sanders moves up on the depth chart. It was a good performance for Sanders, but he will likely need to string together multiple strong preseason efforts for a shot to move up in the quarterback room. After all, Pickett, Gabriel and Joe Flacco have all seen more first-team reps through practice, and none of them have seen preseason action for the Browns yet.
Sanders could very well move up in the Browns' quarterback room if he builds off Friday's game, but it still seems unlikely he wins the starting job by Week 1. He likely can move up the depth chart though, which would put him in better position to see action during the regular season if another Browns quarterback underwhelms or suffers an injury.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Shedeur Sanders' Preseason Performance Impacts Browns' QB Battle.
