Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut in the preseason opener in Carolina. Here's what his teammates had to say about the game.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cornelius Lucas didn't think there was anything he hadn't seen before. The Browns left tackle saw the same Shedeur Sanders in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers that he had seen over the previous two-plus weeks of training camp.
"I wouldn't say it was a real difference," Lucas said after the Browns' 30-10 win in Carolina. "I feel like he just honed in and really embraced his opportunity, which you should do if you're trying to prolong your career in the NFL. You should take advantage of every opportunity you get to play. And I feel like he did a good job with that."
The statistics would certainly support that claim. Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards with two touchdowns and a 106.8 passer rating before leaving with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Sanders did so on a night where a bulk of the Browns' front-line players were in street clothes on the sideline. That was most noticeable along the offensive line and the wide receiving corps.
None of the Browns' No. 1 offensive line played against Carolina, leaving a lineup of Lucas, Teven Jenkins, Luke Wypler, Javion Cohen and Jackson Barton from left tackle to right tackle when he took the field. Wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman also didn't play, with Jamari Thrash, Kaden Davis and the rookie duo of Gage Larvadain and Luke Floriea leading the group.
"Man, I think the best word for him is adaptive," said rookie running back Dylan Sampson, who ran for 5 yards on the first play of the game. "Put in situations. Obviously he hasn't got the most team reps throughout camp, but through the injuries and stuff, had to start this game and played a lot of it. He did a great job just being out there, feel comfortable. I got many reps with him at practice, but I just know he going to go out there and give his all, just like a lot of people on this team."
The key for any quarterback to command an offense is their ability to command a huddle. It should come as no surprise that Sanders could command a huddle, especially when he knows it's his game as the starter.
Cohen said Sanders wasted no time when he spoke to his teammates in the huddle. It was so quick at times that he was asked to slow it down by the officials.
"He definitely understands exactly what point he wants to get across to everybody, and he's a little excited too," Cohen said. "The ref was telling us to slow down a little bit. We were getting out there pretty fast, but he definitely got a presence to himself, knows how he wants to command the huddle and he has a voice that all of us listen to and we appreciate it. Seeing that from a rookie, being able to have that kind of presence is important."
That's where it starts. Where it ends is in the plays Sanders can make, primarily with his arm.
Both of Sanders' touchdown throws went to Davis. The first-year player who made his NFL debut in the final regular-season game of the 2024 season had three catches on three targets for 23 yards.
Yet, Davis didn't notice anything discernably different about his quarterback.
"He's the same Shedeur I've seen all training camp," Davis said. "He is very innovative and he's got confidence."
That confidence may have shown the most in the throw of the night from him. It came right before the two-minute warning in the first half, when the Browns were backed up at their own 38.
Sanders got away from some immediate pressure in his face from Carolina's Nic Scourton and ran toward the line of scrimmage. Before he got there, he was able to fire a deep throw down the right sideline toward Floriea, who had beaten safety Latham Ransom.
Floriea stuck out his left hand and pulled in the pass before going out of bounds for a 30-yard gain. That would ultimately set up the second touchdown to Davis to give Cleveland a 14-7 halftime lead.
"That was a nice play," said Floriea, who was targeted twice before leaving with a hamstring cramp. "I saw 12 scramble, so I decided to run to the open spot. He threw me a real nice ball, layered it right over the top. I just had to make a play."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Shedeur Sanders' Browns teammates react to rookie's debut vs. Panthers
Category: General Sports
