The Cleveland Browns made contradictory moves this week — designating rookie Shedeur Sanders as QB4 on the first unofficial depth chart of August and shortly after announcing that he would start the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Friday, August 8.
The rollercoaster ride is unfortunately becoming old hat for Sanders at this point. He entered the draft process as a prospective top-10 pick before sliding all the way to the early portion of the fifth round.
Sanders played well across significant portions of the preseason, though not well enough to leapfrog fellow rookie and QB3 Dillon Gabriel. He later self-reported shoulder soreness that kept him out of practice over last weekend and served as fuel for continued trade fodder concocted by multiple former NFL players, who offered varied reasoning as to why Sanders could find himself on the trade block sooner than later.
Meanwhile, his father Deion Sanders is dealing with a public cancer battle, about which reporters have asked the quarterback on several occasions.
On Wednesday, media members asked Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett for his take on the young signal-caller after reporters observed the two interacting frequently on the practice field in recent days.
“He’s funny, he’s optimistic, lighthearted — but he works hard. He takes it seriously, his craft, and he’s watching what the others are doing and doing it his own way, in which only he can,” Garrett responded. “So, looking forward to see him [in] these preseason games and how he manages the offense.”
“I think he looks good,” Garrett continued in his assessment of Sanders, “but all the guys look good right now.”
Shedeur Sanders Getting Shot to Start Browns’ Preseason Opener Due to Injuries Throughout QB Room
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
Part of the reason the Browns gave Sanders the nod as the starter is because both Gabriel and Kenny Pickett are battling hamstring injuries and neither will play Friday against Carolina. Also sitting out that game is QB1 Joe Flacco, per head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The only other quarterback who will suit up for the contest is Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley, with whom the Browns reunited earlier this week based on injury concerns involving Sanders, Gabriel and Pickett.
“We’re going to work through that,” Stefanski told reporters Wednesday. “It’s Shedeur and Snoop [who] will be the quarterbacks that are playing in this game. Snoop just got off the airplane yesterday, so we will catch him up.”
Browns Made Tyler Huntley Team’s 6th Rostered QB Heading Into First Preseason Game
GettyQuarterback Tyler Huntley of the Cleveland Browns.
Huntley, a former Pro Bowler and longtime Lamar Jackson backup with the Baltimore Ravens, played well in multiple preseason games with the Browns last August.
That said, he is the last of six quarterbacks to join the roster after the four involved in the current QB competition and the injured Deshaun Watson. As such, it doesn’t appear likely that Huntley has a real chance to make Cleveland’s 53-man roster.
Nevertheless, he will fill in as a replacement arm at the very least until more Browns quarterbacks return to healthy status.
