It was announced on Tuesday afternoon that the Cleveland Browns will start rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the preseason on Friday night against the Carolina Panthers. Well, Sanders and Tyler Huntley will be the only quarterbacks on the team who will be seeing game action as well.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) runs for a short gain during NFL training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
Cleveland will be holding out Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Kenny Pickett because of other injuries as well. There are some Browns fans who believe that Sanders is starting for most of the game because they think he could be potential trade bait. Cleveland fans had some interesting reactions to him starting this game despite not seeing many reps with the first-team during the offseason programs and also training camp.
Cleveland Browns Fans Have Mixed Reactions To Shedeur Sanders Being Named Preseason Starter
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Jul 28, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws a pass during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
With Sanders officially being named the starting quarterback for Friday’s preseason opener against Carolina, it is not a surprise that the Browns fanbase had mixed reactions to this news. This is what some of the fans had to say about it on Twitter:
Start him week 1 vs Cincy. The fans want it.
— ً (@LBJhighlights) August 6, 2025
Joe Flacco is being preserved for the regular season
— Buddy Boy Bets (@Buddyboybets) August 6, 2025
We don’t care. He’ll be on the practice squad by week 1
— PICKETTSBURGH (@Pickettsburgh8) August 6, 2025
They are positioning him for failure, stating that they will not utilize the starters in the game however, I remains undeterred and confident in his abilities. God Got Him
— savage (@solodolosavage) August 6, 2025
Then give him first team reps in practice.
— MarkB (@70sRockbest) August 6, 2025
It will be interesting to see how Sanders will perform during the preseason game against the Panthers. Cleveland fans are not buying that Sanders will be the Week 1 quarterback for this football team. A lot of Browns fans think they are trying to set him up to fail. If he has a bad performance, a lot of people are going to put blame on head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry as well.
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