Insider predicts Browns will 'probably' start this QB in Week 1 amid Shedeur Sanders hype

Shedeur Sanders was quite the popular figure among Cleveland Browns fans who called into local sports radio programs on Monday after the rookie quarterback enjoyed a solid pro debut in the club's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. 

For an article published on Monday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated acknowledged that Sanders "looked pretty good Friday night in Carolina." Breer also seems to think Sanders has no real chance of starting Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7 unless other options become unavailable for any reason. 

"For now, I feel pretty confident that one of the veterans, probably Joe Flacco, will start in Week 1," Breer wrote about how Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski will react to Sanders' outing against the Panthers. "But what this does, I think, is create a better chance that the Browns would want to get a look at [Sanders] later in the year if the season doesn’t go the way they want it to."

Sanders truly only started against Carolina because the Browns rested Flacco, as Kenny Pickett and fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel continued to recover from hamstring injuries. Per Owen O'Connor of Browns Wire/USA Today, Stefanski confirmed on Monday that Pickett remained limited to 7-on-7 drills due to the hamstring-related setback as of that time. That's concerning, considering Browns legend Joe Thomas revealed during the broadcast of Friday's preseason game that Pickett could be sidelined "for a couple more weeks."

Meanwhile, Sanders impressed onlookers when he completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland's 30-10 win over Carolina. That said, there's no indication Stefanski will be in any rush to start Sanders or Gabriel against live defenses in meaningful games. Per Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns’ first six contests of the upcoming season are against teams that had a combined 71-41 record for the 2024 campaign.

"...Showing that he’s the kind of quarterback who can look better in game conditions than he does in practice (Jimmy Garoppolo was this way as a young player) should only give the Browns coaches more motivation to give him some opportunity to play with the starters," Breer added about Sanders. "So what’s next? It’s showing that he can day in and day out run the operation in a way that’ll allow the first-team players to get good work in while they’re preparing for their season."

While Flacco should work with the starters during joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles this week, it seems likely that the 40-year-old will sit out Saturday's preseason game in Philadelphia so he stays as healthy as possible for Week 1. Such a development could open the door for Sanders to shine at Lincoln Financial Field. 

However, FanDuel Sportsbook continued to list Flacco as a -156 betting favorite to get the nod for the Cincinnati game as of Monday. To compare, Pickett was at +150 odds, followed by Sanders at +1100 odds.