Browns Need to Take Training Wheels Off Shedeur Sanders

After a week engulfed by hyperbolic national debates over whether or not the Browns had set Sanders up to fail by naming him the team's starter for the first preseason game, despite not taking a single first-team rep so far in camp, Sanders made all the outside noise fade away into the abyss.

Rep counts and depth chart orders were of little concern for the Colorado star. He just wanted an opportunity to prove himself – something his most staunch supporters have been saying for weeks. It's why the narratives about "being set up for failure" were so disingenuous.

Anyone who believed that entering Friday, simply hasn't watched or followed Sanders throughout his career. He's a gamer. The football field is his stage, and when the lights are on and he gets between those lines, he just performs. Reps and depth charts be damned.

Meanwhile, Kevin Stefanski was deliberate in calling plays he knew Sanders was comfortable with. In general, he kept the script pretty simple. Sanders has thrived when he's had to make quick reads and get rid of the ball quickly. There was a lot of that thrown his way in Carolina.

Sanders proved, though, that he is ready for much more.

On his first touchdown pass, Stefanski called for a levels concept into the boundary and got Sanders booting out of the pocket to his left. Once he reset his feet, he delivered a brilliant, layered thrown over a defender to Davis.

His second touchdown throw saw him stand in the pocket despite feeling some pressure off his left side, step up and deliver a laser to Davis (again) over the middle. Sure the ball was a bit low, but that's something that he'll correct as his mechanics continue to improve.

And that's the key for Sanders in this QB competition: he's continuing to improve, which is all anyone can ask for. The process was smooth, and he led the offense with plenty of poise. He also showed an ability to navigate the pocket better than his college tape showed at times.

It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but what's great about Sanders is that he's his his own toughest critic. While everyone on social media was raving about his performance, Sanders was telling sideline reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala that he "didn't do what he was supposed to do."

The response is hardly a surprise from Sanders, who has said all the right things since arriving in Cleveland back in April. He's been nothing but level-headed and has gone about everything the right way, on and off the field.

As much as he may be downplaying the performance, it should serve as a turning point for Stefanski and the Browns.

Sanders is ready for more. Friday night was certainly proof of that. While he may not have needed first-team reps to ball out in Carolina, he's more than earned them now.

For not Cleveland seems pretty set in the QB pecking order featuring Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett (if healthy) and Dillon Gabriel all ahead of Sanders. That may not change drastically this week as they gear up for two days of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles and another preseason game next weekend.

At the very least, it's time for the Browns to take the training wheels off and allow Sanders similar opportunities they've afforded the other three signal callers. The Shedeur Sanders show is just getting started, and yes, we're all entertained.