Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a special opportunity to start the team’s first preseason game, and he seized the moment, delivering a performance that has everyone talking. While Sanders is now back to work with the Browns, focusing on the competition in Cleveland’s quarterback room, some people are focusing on his competition outside of the Browns.
NFL fans and analysts love to compare quarterbacks, and with all the healthy rookie QBs getting some preseason action under their belts, the comparisons between them have officially started. In a recent CBS Sports piece, Tyler Sullivan ranked the rookie quarterback performances from Week 1 of the preseason.
Of the 11 rookies who played, including J.J. McCarthy who lost his actual rookie season to a knee injury, Sullivan ranked Sanders’ performance No. 2 of all the first-year quarterbacks. The Browns’ rookie only trailed New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart, who completed 12-of-19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown.
Shedeur Sanders should be the 'next man up' in the Cleveland Browns QB room
Shedeur Sanders saw most of the snaps for the Cleveland Browns at quarterback in this game, and he went 14/23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Simply put, Sanders was efficient and had some very nice throws and even plays with his legs.
"You can feel the fire in his eyes and hear the hunger in every step—he's playing with that passion, he's playing with that swagger." --Tyler Sullivan on QB Shedeur Sanders (CBS Sports).
At this point, especially with who else the team has in their quarterback room, Sanders has to be looked at as the 'next man up' in the room for the inevitable Joe Flacco benching. Most of us would probably agree that Flacco is in line to start for the Browns in the 2025 NFL Season
However, Flacco starting does not mean he's going to keep the job for a full 17 games. With how shaky the Browns are around Flacco, it may only be a matter of time before the fans and even coaches want to see another quarterback get some action, and that quarterback should be Shedeur Sanders. He's got the highest ceiling of the remaining quarterbacks in their room.
Sanders was seen by some of the most trusted NFL Draft experts as a first-round pick, so I suppose we really should not be all that surprised to see the controversial quarterback get some action in the regular season.
