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Many an eyebrow was raised by Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders' performance in the team's first preseason game last week vs the Carolina Panthers. Sanders showed impressive poise and accuracy down the field, many of the traits that he displayed at Colorado that had some fans thinking he could be a number one overall pick this past spring.
Still, Sanders is in a quarterback competition with three other players in the Browns' locker room: Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, whom the team selected before him last year.
Recently, NFL insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic made a prediction for who the Browns will trot out at quarterback for Week 1 in just under a month.
“Despite Shedeur Sanders’ impressive performance in Friday’s preseason opener, the first question remains unanswered,” noted Jackson. “And with Kenny Pickett still limited due to a hamstring injury that dates back to the first week of camp, both the calendar and Joe Flacco’s recent string of strong practices indicate that the job to start the season will belong to the 18-year veteran.”
Flacco indeed has the decided experience advantage over the youngster quarterbacks in the Browns locker room, which could be enough to convince head coach Kevin Stefanski to make him the starter, at least initially.
A big decision for the Browns
Many fans were shocked when Shedeur Sanders slid all the way down to the fifth round of this past NFL Draft. However, questions about just how good the defenses he was facing at Colorado were, combined with concerns about his maturity and leadership, apparently made some NFL general managers hesitant to take a chance on him.
However, Sanders took advantage of his first opportunity in the NFL spotlight on Friday in Carolina, dicing up the Panthers' defense (albeit mostly backups) and showing impressive poise in the pocket and a willingness to make plays on his feet.
While Flacco appears to be in the driver's seat to get the job for Week 1, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Sanders could step into that role at some point down the line.
