Shedeur Sanders sends bold message after rough Browns preseason finale
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a rough final preseason game, but he had just one word to say about his job security.
The most controversial quarterback of the 2025 NFL Draft class has finished the preseason with one great and one not-so-great game. Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders shone in his preseason debut, but had a rough go in the final game. Still, he’s not concerned about his status with the team.
Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders makes strong claim on starting role
In his preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers, Sanders threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He was unable to play in the Browns’ second preseason game due to an oblique injury, but was back in time for the finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
Sanders closed out the preseason with a rough outing, completing just three passes for 16 yards while being sacked five times. Still, the rookie quarterback feels he’s shown enough to secure a spot on the Cleveland Browns’ 53-man roster, and even believes he deserves a chance to start.
When asked if he thought he had proven himself worthy of a spot on the final squad, he bluntly stated, “obviously”. He was equally curt when asked if he deserved to be the Browns’ QB1, responding simply, “yeah.”
“I think overall as a player, I think I put in the work. I feel like everything I do, I try to do it to my best, and that’s all I can ask for,” Sanders said. “I feel like I do, but I’m my own player. I think about myself in a high regard. It’s not my decision.”
Browns general manager Andrew Berry indicated the team plans to keep four quarterbacks - Joe Flacco (QB1), Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Sanders -calling the depth an “opportunity” rather than a problem.
Sanders admitted disappointment after being pulled from a potential two-minute drill opportunity against Los Angeles.
“I didn’t know I was out,” Sanders said after the game. “I was on the bike, I was powering up for that two-minute drive. That’s a situation every quarterback dreams about. That’s a situation I’ve been in before. I thought I was in but then he told me I wasn’t.”
Still, with Cleveland’s roster decisions coming up, all signs point to Sanders sticking around as part of a crowded quarterback room. The Browns open the regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, September 7.
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