Shedeur Sanders turned heads in Browns debut, but likely QB pecking order remains unchanged in Cleveland

By the end of Shedeur Sanders’ performance in the Cleveland Browns’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Friday, there were glowing reviews on social media from celebrities such as LeBron James and Jamie Foxx, complimentary posts from other NFL players like Xavier Worthy and even a Nike post that included a picture of Sanders along with the caption “Only a matter of time.”

As one Browns source joked, it may be the most talked-about preseason performance in the history of the NFL.

All jokes aside, though, it was a strong performance from Sanders that Cleveland’s staff felt good about and viewed as a confidence-builder and building block for the fifth-round draft pick. Even beyond the game, where Sanders went 14 for 23 for 138 yards with two touchdown passes, the Browns staff saw Sanders take a noticeable step forward with his preparation and locking in behind the scenes last week knowing that he was in line for more reps and to start that game vs. Carolina.

The big question now: How does the performance from Sanders impact Cleveland’s quarterback dynamic moving forward?

Here’s the reality from talking to sources: While there were a lot of positives from that start against Carolina (for example that he was decisive and threw the ball well), there are “still a lot of things there that need to be cleaned up,” including from a pocket presence standpoint and handling pressure. It was also emphasized that it’s important for people to not get ahead of themselves based on a team’s first preseason game. The feedback prior to the game had been that Sanders had been “up and down” through the beginning of the offseason and training camp,

Kenny Pickett and third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel being limited by injuries has created opportunity for Sanders, which he has taken advantage of, but Sanders does appear to still be QB4 for Cleveland at the moment behind expected starter Joe Flacco, then Pickett and Gabriel (Gabriel was drafted ahead of Sanders).

The opportunity for an increased workload should continue through this week for Sanders. While sources believe Gabriel may be back to being a full-go this week, it seems like Pickett is still at least a week away from being a full participant. And coming off that stellar showing against Carolina, Cleveland’s staff is highly curious to see how Sanders follows that up this week when the Browns face the Philadelphia Eagles in their second preseason game.

One thing that’s clear at this stage from talking to sources is that, even though it’s not standard for an NFL team to keep four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, there’s a good chance the Browns end up having four on theirs with the combination of Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders. The team doesn’t plan to cut anyone, so it would take a trade for Cleveland to move on from any of the four. Right now, it sounds more likely that all four remain with the Browns, including Sanders, who has already shown Cleveland’s staff — and others around the league — that he’s a 53-man roster caliber quarterback but will now get further opportunity to build on what sources described as a “good first showing.”