CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn't disappoint in his highly-anticipated NFL debut.
Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes as he started the Browns' preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.
Sanders threw his first touchdown on a 7-yard pass to wide receiver Kaden Davis on the first play of the second quarter, threading the ball through a tight window in the back corner of the end zone. Cleveland's offense capitalized on a short field after the Browns recovered a muffed punt deep in the red zone. The touchdown prompted celebration from his father and former college coach, Deion Sanders, on social media.
Sanders later found Davis again on a 12-yard touchdown pass toward the end of the first half.
In a little less than three quarters of action, Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and he added 23 rushing yards. Sanders was on the field for 45 plays -- Browns coach Kevin Stefanski previously said Sanders would get about 50 snaps -- before Tyler Huntley, who was signed Tuesday in the wake of multiple QB injuries, entered the game with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Sanders was regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft before dropping to the fifth round, where the Browns selected him with the 144th pick. He was the second quarterback Cleveland took, following Dillon Gabriel, who was picked in the third round.
In the first three weeks of training camp, Sanders has been QB4 as the Browns' have held a quarterback competition, getting practice reps behind Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. However, the Browns elected to sit Flacco, who has taken most of the first-team reps, and Pickett and Gabriel were sidelined by hamstring injuries, paving the way for Sanders to start the Browns' preseason opener.
