The relationship between the Cleveland Browns and Shedeur Sanders has felt weird since he was drafted in the fifth round by the franchise back in April. It started with the actual selection of the former Colorado QB, coming two rounds after the Browns took Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel. It prompted a less-than-exciting reaction from Cleveland GM Andrew Berry, which led to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam having to comment about it during Training Camp.
Despite consistently outperforming the other quarterbacks on the roster in camp - at least according to the publicly available statistics - Sanders has seemingly made zero headway in Cleveland's QB competition. He was listed as the No. 4 QB on the depth chart on Monday, behind veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Many fans have side-eyed the treatment of Sanders in Training Camp. Then, on Tuesday, it was reported by Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot that Sanders was slated to start the Browns' preseason opener on Friday against the Carolina Panthers, giving him his first genuine opportunity to make a move in the QB competition. This came to be due to injuries to Pickett and Gabriel, but nonetheless it is a platform for Sanders to make a statement.
Or so we thought.
According to Cabot, the Browns' plan vs. the Panthers for Friday's preseason game reeks of a setup more than a real opportunity for Sanders.
Shedeur Sanders will face the Panthers starters with the Browns backups
The Browns are stacking the deck against Sanders for his start. Cleveland plans to rest its starters, handing Sanders the ball with the twos and threes on the depth chart. It's not exactly a shocking decision for a preseason opener, but the fact that the Panthers are planning on playing their starters makes it that much more difficult for Sanders to find success. Almost as if it is by design:
#Browns Kevin Stefanski said “by and large” we’re going to rest our starters Friday night vs #Panthers. Shedeur will work with some 2s and 3s vs #Panthers starters.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 6, 2025
Even the best quarterbacks in the NFL would struggle playing with backups against another team's starters. But rest assured, if Sanders isn't immediately excellent, it will be used against him by fans, and he'll be back to being buried on the depth chart moving forward.
Cleveland should be prioritizing Sanders over fellow rookie Gabriel, as Training Camp has made clear what most NFL Draft experts already knew: Sanders is a superior prospect, with excellent physical tools. He just needs to be in a spot where those tools can be nurtured.
The Browns don't seem to have much interest in doing that. Instead, they're throwing the rookie to the wolves on Friday night on a playing field that's nowhere close to level.