The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders a surprising shot just weeks after he was relegated to throwing passes to equipment staff as the team’s fourth-string quarterback.
Despite being listed as QB4 on the latest depth chart, Sanders will start the Browns’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
“Sanders, the Browns’ fourth-team QB who hasn’t taken any snaps with the first-team offense, is expected to start,” Cabot reported, citing a league source.
The opportunity comes as veterans Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel are dealing with hamstring injuries, and the team is opting to rest 40-year-old Joe Flacco for the preseason debut.
Following the recent addition of Tyler Huntley, the Browns now have six quarterbacks in camp, with Deshaun Watson still sidelined on the physically unable to perform list.
Sanders, once projected as a first-round pick, slid to the fifth round of the draft—two rounds after the Browns selected Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. After a rough spring, Sanders has been eager to prove he belongs in the NFL conversation as a future starter.
Now, he’ll have a critical chance to impress coaches on Friday against Carolina. With a crowded quarterback room and minimal reps during OTAs and training camp, Sanders must capitalize on this moment—or risk falling further out of contention on a depth chart that seems never-ending.
He knew the road to the top wouldn’t be easy—and now it’s time to show if he can take the first real step.
