Source: David Jensen / Getty
After getting picked in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, all Shedeur Samders wanted was an opportunity, and when he got it, he seized it.
The rookie was under center as the preseason kicks off, where the Browns took on the Carolina Panthers because Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel are benched with hamstring injuries.
Flacco’s likely to be the week one starter, but Sanders still proved himself, completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the 30-10 win.
His first series was a three-and-out, but he didn’t let that discourage him and really began to hit his stride in the second quarter.
On the very first play of the drive, the team was near the red zone when he fell back, did a fake handoff before narrowly making a throw to Kaden Davis in the end zone, tying the game at 7.
It proved that even when scrambling out of the pocket, Sanders impressively remains calm and hits his spots, a fact he proved with about two minutes left in the half when he completed a 30-yard pass to Luke Floriea, who caught it one-handed while running down the sidelines.
His arm was still hot after emerging from the locker room after halftime, and he led his team down the field again and connected with Kaden for a second touchdown.
That’d be the end of Sanders’ NFL debut as he was swapped for Snoop Huntley at quarterback late in the third quarter.
It was a solid performance for someone who got so much hate going into the draft and rumors of terrible team interviews.
But in his postgame interview, Sanders saw where he could improve going forward.
“Thankful for the opportunity, I’m excited for it, I don’t feel like I took full advantage of the opportunity. It’s something to work on, something to learn from,” he told Yahoo Sports. “I don’t feel like I was sharp at all, honestly. I think I was okay today. Next opportunity I get, I have to build on this one.”
He’s still QB4, but that didn’t stop social media from saluting his game-winning performance under pressure.
See the proud uncle-like reactions below.