The Cleveland Browns are set to kick off their preseason action on Friday night against the Carolina Panthers. Ahead of the game, the Browns surprisingly announced that rookie fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders would draw the start in this game, even though the team has four other quarterbacks at their disposal.
There’s been a lot of fanfare surrounding Sanders, given the overall competition for Cleveland’s starting quarterback job, and his fall in the 2025 NFL Draft. In the wake of this announcement, some fans have argued that Sanders is being set up to fail, but former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky decided to fire back at that narrative ahead of Sanders’ preseason debut.
Dan Orlovsky Addresses Shedeur Sanders’ Preseason Narrative
With Deshaun Watson re-rupturing his Achilles tendon back in January, the Browns’ starting quarterback job has been a major question mark since then. The front office signed Joe Flacco in free agency, traded for Kenny Pickett, and selected Dillon Gabriel and Sanders in the draft. Earlier this week, the team added another option to their quarterback room when they signed former Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley in free agency.
And yet, with all these options, Sanders is drawing the start on Friday night against the Panthers. With rumors percolating that the Browns don’t really want Sanders, some folks believe this is simply a ploy for him to fail so that the front office can move on from him. However, Orlovsky believes that narrative is tired, and he shut it down by simply asking who else the team would rather have start in this game than Sanders.
“Will everybody stop with the ‘Shedeur Sanders is being set up to fail’ narrative?” Orlovsky said in a video posted on X. “Who do you want to start the game? It’s preseason Week 1. First option, Joe Flacco. He’s played for like 20 years, he’s not gonna start preseason Week 1. The next two options would be a Kenny Pickett or a Dillon Gabriel. Both are dealing with hamstring injuries.”
“The next two options are Shedeur and Snoop Huntley. Shedeur has been there, Snoop Huntly just got there. So while Shedeur may not have had reps with the 1s, what else do you want them to do in Cleveland? It’s an opportunity for him … Stop with the setup to fail narrative.”
Shedeur Sanders Looking to Assert Himself in Browns’ Quarterback Battle
As Orlovsky outlined, Flacco has been around the block a couple of times, so there’s no reason for the Browns to give him snaps in their first preseason game. Pickett and Gabriel could be candidates to start over Sanders, but they are both injured, and Huntley only arrived in town a couple of days ago. That leaves Sanders, who is likely thrilled with the opportunity he has had drop in his lap.
Simply put, if Cleveland didn’t want Sanders on their team, he wouldn’t be on their roster, as the team has other quarterback options they could turn to. But the coaching staff wants to work on developing Sanders, and they have a perfect opportunity to do so in their first preseason game. It may not be the best set of circumstances for him, but when opportunity comes knocking in the NFL, you have to take it, and that’s precisely what Sanders will look to do against the Panthers.
