Shedeur Sanders celebrating after a touchdown pass in his preseason debut against the Panthers Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) celebrates his touchdown pass against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
By Reice Shipley on

On Friday, football fans got their first look at Shedeur Sanders as an NFL quarterback when he started the Cleveland Browns’ first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. And after largely impressing, the vast majority of media members are even more sold on the argument that Sanders could compete for a starting job in Cleveland.

When the Browns named Sanders the No. 4 quarterback on their first team depth chart leading into Friday’s preseason game, it appeared on paper like Sanders may never get an opportunity to show what he can do for an extended period of playing time. However, Sanders ultimately benefited from a banged-up Browns quarterback room, getting the chance to start due to injuries to both Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel.

Sanders got over half the game to show what he is capable of against the Panthers, going deep into the third quarter before being replaced by Tyler Huntley. And while he got off to a bit of a slow start in the first quarter, it didn’t take long for him to show flashes of the player who some thought could have been a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

After the Panthers muffed a punt at the beginning of the second quarter, Sanders and the Browns offense capitalized on the mistake, scoring on a beautiful seven-yard touchdown pass in between two Panthers defenders from Sanders to Kaden Davis.

Chris Rose and Joe Thomas, who were on the call of the game on NFL Network, had plenty of high praise for Sanders after the touchdown pass.

“Shedeur Sanders, welcome to the NFL!” said Rose on the call of Panthers-Browns preseason game on NFL Network.

“What a great job by Shedeur Sanders there,” added Thomas. “Just having the patience, letting the play develop. Does a great job looking off his receiver. He finds the tiniest little window in the back of the end zone. Perfectly layering it over the intermediate defender. That was an incredible throw by Shedeur Sanders.”

Later on in the second quarter, Sanders would again lead the Browns into the end zone on a five-play, 60-yard drive that was capped off by another passing touchdown to Kaden Davis.

“Shedeur Sanders putting on a show here in the second quarter!” said Rose moments after the touchdown pass. “Two touchdown drives, both going to Kaden Davis. And the Browns have their first lead of the preseason.”

Sanders did have some areas that needed improvement. Notably, one complaint about Sanders leading into the draft was how long he held onto the ball during his collegiate playing days at Colorado, resulting in him being the most sacked quarterback in all of college football in 2023. This was again a bit of a problem on Friday, being sacked twice by Panthers defenders.

But with that being said, the overwhelming conclusion that most media members came to after Sanders’ performance on Friday is that he certainly has the tools to put together a very successful NFL career.

“I ask AGAIN: What’s not to love about Shedeur Sanders??” wrote Skip Bayless on X.

“Many thought Shedeur Sanders would fail after being thrown to the wolves as the starter with minimal first team reps against the Carolina Panthers starters,” wrote former NFL quarterback turned media personality Robert Griffin III. “BUT GOD saw fit that Shedeur Sanders would come back leading the pack. Faith and hard work always pay off. Perfect Timing.”

“Another great throw! He’s putting together a good game. Showing a lot of poise in his debut,” wrote Amazon Prime studio analyst Richard Sherman.

“Well at least Andrew Berry gets to take credit for the Shedeur Sanders pick all by himself,” wrote ESPN’s Ryan Clark. Because it was made clear the owner wanted nothing to do with it!”

As you may expect, Deion Sanders also had plenty to say about his son’s performance, taking to social media to share several complimentary posts about his play.

It seems as if Friday’s performance even had some NFL front offices potentially second-guessing their decision to let Sanders slip all the way to the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported during the game that an anonymous “high-ranking” AFC North executive was “shocked” to see how good Sanders looked.

Maybe the Browns organization will view Sanders’ performance as favorably as most fans and media members seemingly have and consider potentially moving him up the quarterback depth chart.

But either way, Friday’s game has clearly gone a long way in bolstering Sanders’ reputation.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley