Reporter pumps brakes on Shedeur Sanders hype train

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders received opportunities to impress in the club's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers, as he started the game after Kenny Pickett and fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel were slowed by hamstring injuries.

Sanders largely looked like a signal-caller capable of eventually winning meaningful games at Carolina's Bank of America Stadium. In total, he completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 victory. 

However, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested during the latest edition of the "Orange and Brown Talk Podcast" that excited Browns fans shouldn't expect Sanders to immediately rise up the depth chart after he entered Friday night as the club's fourth-choice option.

"I don’t know if they’re going to be ready yet to give [Sanders] those precious starting reps, especially because we are heading now into the real meat and the heart of the quarterback competition," Cabot said about the Browns' situation. 

Specifically, it's widely believed veteran Joe Flacco will work with the starters during joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles this week leading up to Saturday's exhibition game involving the teams. Meanwhile, Sanders received no first-team reps in practice before the Carolina contest. 

As of Monday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as a -156 betting favorite to start Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Pickett was at +150 odds even though it wasn't known at that time if he'll be able to play against the Eagles. Sanders was at +1300 odds, while Gabriel was a +1400 underdog to get the nod for the Bengals matchup.

"You never really quite know how it’s going to hold up in a game until the NFL defensive coordinators dig in and have their say on a quarterback," Cabot warned while discussing how Sanders performed against the Panthers. "That is when you find out what a quarterback is made of. That’s why sometimes preseason can be fool’s gold. Nobody’s game-planning for you. Nobody’s saying, 'Oh, he’s going to retreat in this situation, let’s make him do it.'"

Logic suggests Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski should at least give Sanders a chance to compete for the QB2 gig through Cleveland's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. All signs continue to point to Stefanski starting Flacco against Cincinnati as Pickett works to recover from his summer setback, but Sanders could make things interesting if he produces another solid showing in Philadelphia.