The Cleveland Browns will start rookie Shedeur Sanders at quarterback in Friday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. Coach Kevin Stefanski made the official announcement on Wednesday.
Sanders will make that start with fellow quarterback Kenny Pickett and Dillion Gabriel both dealing with hamstring injuries and sitting out the preseason opener. Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who holds the QB1 spot on the initial depth chart, also won’t receive any playing time in Friday’s contest.
On Monday, the team signed quarterback Tyler Huntley, who was in training camp with the Browns last summer, and he will serve as the backup for Sanders on Friday night. That likely means we will see an awful lot of Sanders, as he’ll have his biggest opportunity to show his abilities and make an impression on the Browns’ staff.
Sanders was previously listed as the No. 4 quarterback on the Browns’ depth chart, which was released Monday. Still, it’s not something the 2025 fifth-round pick is worried about going forward.
“How do I block out the noise? I’ve always faced adversity since growing up,” Sanders said Monday, via Cleveland 14 News. “Each level, it’s always been something. When you figure out how people come at you … life is a cycle, it keeps repeating over, over and over, then you understand what game this is or what they’re doing. I can never feel less than. Nobody can ever make me mentally get out of position in the situation I’m in.
“I’m thankful for who I am, I’m thankful for who my Dad is, I’m thankful for my family. No one can make me feel bad about the blessings I do have.”
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With Flacco, Pickett, and Gabriel set to sit out Friday’s game, Sanders and Huntley are expected to be the only signal callers that see the field. With three quarterbacks sitting out, perhaps it could be a chance for Sanders to move his way up the depth chart in the coming weeks.
Sanders made a name for himself at Colorado over the past two season as he completed 74.0% of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in his final collegiate season in 2024.
