Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was primed and ready for the intense spotlight during his National Football League preseason debut on Friday night.
Perhaps the most talked-about fifth-round, fourth-string quarterback in the history of the league, he performed well amid the pressure of the moment, playing a leading role as starting pro passer in a convincing 30–10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
And he did it much unlike his flamboyant father, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, nicknamed “Prime Time” because he stood out so much despite playing the mostly veiled position of cornerback.
The younger Sanders, who has the glory/blame position of QB, doesn’t need to be showy to garner attention. In fact, attention seeks him.
Sanders, though, soaked in his first experience, and with his holistic approach to the game.
“Change is a family thing. You got to be able to go to war with each and every guy, and understand that we’re not playing for ourselves, we’re playing for each other. [That means] not making selfish mistakes, not doing that type of stuff, getting through reads, handing the ball off and doing what you do. Everybody [does] their job, and that’s how we believe in one another.”
Cleveland added the signal caller not out of necessity but because of the value the team said it saw in a player who had dropped so low in the draft that he ended up being the victim of a prank call.
That particular moment was perhaps the worst of Sanders’ career. But there was also a strong amount of speculation that his moment as a starter, albeit preseason, would never come. Pre-draft reports were rampant about how the Sanders family didn’t want to join certain clubs, was ill-prepared for interviews with other teams and was generally overconfident about his ability to play in the NFL.
Many outlets cited those as the reasons why he tumbled all the way to the fifth round in the draft.
The truth is that fourth-string QBs rarely get first-half snaps in preseason games. So for Sanders to experience a start was quite a feat for a player who some thought might be in danger of falling off the roster. Now, he’s close to locking up a spot on the team.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was much like Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley dodging tacklers as he avoided quarterback-controversy talk in his postgame press conference.
“We’re really just focused on developing our players, we’re in evaluation mode. I’m really pleased with where the guys are, but I’m not diving into a quarterback competition,” Stefanski said, shutting down questions about who the Week 1 starter might be or where Sanders appears now on the depth chart.
Sanders wasn’t really expected to be in the running for a starting role, but Stefanski delivered calm praise toward the rookie after a very capable effort.
“Honestly, I’m pleased with the way Shedeur played, I’m pleased with the way the offense operated tonight. All things moving forward as we continue to practice, we’ll be focused on all of our guys’ development and getting these guys ready to play for the season,” Stefanski said, later cutting Sanders slack on a couple of wayward tosses.
“You’re not going to make every throw, and that’s part of this game.”
Sanders might soon be ready for prime time.
