Shedeur Sanders didn’t just make his NFL preseason debut Friday night; he owned the spotlight. The Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback, and son of Coach Prime, got the starting nod against the Carolina Panthers with Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel sidelined.
All eyes were on the hyped fifth-round pick, and Sanders delivered a performance that turned heads. By halftime, the 23-year-old had already tossed two touchdown passes, both to wideout Kaden Davis, giving Cleveland a 14-7 lead. He looked poised in the pocket, showing off timing, touch, and confidence far beyond his rookie status.
Sanders finished 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns with a 106.8 passer rating. He also showed some mobility, adding four carries for 19 yards to keep drives alive.

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Preseason or not, this was the performance that Cleveland fans hoped for from the 144th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Also read: Deion Sanders drops 3-word reaction as Shedeur Sanders scores first TD of Browns career
Deion Sanders and LeBron James hype Shedeur Sanders' preseason debut vs. Panthers
Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut came with extra star power and plenty of social media fire. His father, NFL Hall of Famer Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, hyped the rookie quarterback.
After a slow opening drive, Sanders responded to a Panthers touchdown by leading Kevin Stefanski's men with a 7-yard dart to Kaden Davis. That’s when the hype train really started rolling.
Coach Prime jumped on X to fire off a three-word celebration for his son:
“Yes Lawd! Yes!”
Meanwhile, NBA legend LeBron James praised the rookie’s poise, tweeting:
“That young 👑 looking good out there! … Keep going UP!!!”
James also clapped back at critics who downplayed the performance because it was preseason.
“If he was out there not going in y’all would be on his ass about it! So give credit and grace lames.”
While Joe Flacco still remains Stefanski's preferred choice by a large margin, Shedeur's performance vs. Panthers may have pushed him up the pecking order on the Browns QB depth chart.
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