Excitement surrounds Shedeur Sanders' preseason start Friday

Joe Flacco will have a great view of Shedeur Sanders' preseason start Friday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Flacco, who will be on the sideline but won't play, knows plenty of other eyes will be on the popular rookie quarterback in what's become a highly anticipated exhibition opener."For sure. It's so funny because I don't really think of it that way," Flacco told reporters in Charlotte on Wednesday after a joint practice against the Panthers. "We're just kind of going to work every day and doing our job and we're in the room together. But, yeah, that'll make it exciting."Zone Coverage PodcastBrowns coach Kevin Stefanski officially announced Sanders as the starter before practice. Sanders was always scheduled to play a lot, but a hamstring injury to rookie Dillon Gabriel pushed him into the starting lineup."The competitor in him is very excited," Stefanski said.Sanders will be followed by Tyler "Snoop" Huntley, who was signed Tuesday. The coaches are working to get him prepared and he practiced against the Panthers. They are the only quarterbacks who will play.Kenny Pickett sustained a hamstring injury July 26 that continues to keep him out of team drills. Gabriel felt tightness in a hamstring Saturday and has been limited in the last two practices."Just being very careful with him," Stefanski said of Gabriel. "Don't want to expose him to any unnecessary strain, if you will."Dillon Gabriel's pro career is off to rough start with struggles, injurySanders was a fifth-round pick out of Colorado in April. He's consistently been fourth in the four-man quarterback rotation and hasn't taken a repetition with the first-team offense. He's a long shot to win the starting job for Week 1 — Flacco's the favorite — but has the chance to impress and at least close the gap on Gabriel as the top rookie.Flacco flashed back to his first preseason action as a rookie with the Ravens in 2008."I didn't get to play until the last two minutes of the game, but it's something that he'll remember forever," he said. "Most of us have dreamt about this moment since were 5, 6, 7, 8 years old. So for him to get a chance to go out there and actually take the field, even though it's preseason, we're all going to be on the sidelines and at home and enjoying it."Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion and one of the most popular athletes in the country, hasn't complained about his place on the depth chart or lack of first-team reps, while consistently expressing gratitude for the opportunity and the willingness to remain patient."He's come in from Day 1with a pretty good head on his shoulders, pretty good method about how he thinks he should do things," Flacco said. "We've all been in that room together and all picked up little things from each other. So I think he's just staying the course and continuing to try to grab a thing here."Stefanski said he'll rest most of the starters Friday, so Sanders will essentially open the game with the second-team offense against Carolina's starting defense."Shedeur has gotten reps with all the different centers and has gotten reps with different guys throwing to them during practice," Stefanski said. "There may be some batteries that are a little bit different, but I think the guys have worked very hard to just be on the same page."Stefanski didn't list which starters would play. When it comes to receiver, he did reveal Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman won't."Everybody else will play," he said.Sanders will likely begin the game throwing to former Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson, Jamari Thrash and DeAndre Carter, along with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Kaden Davis, Gage Larvadain, Luke Floriea, Cade McDonald, Kisean Johnson and Chase Cota will also see snaps at wideout.Sanders' start will get plenty of attention from fans and media, but Stefanski wants to keep it in perspective."For all of our players it's about taking the practice field to the game field," he said. "That's what's most important. The same plays that we're running in these practices will be the same plays we'll run in the game. You always tell these rookies to make sure that the game is just an extension of practice."Stefanski didn't alter the practice plan Wednesday, giving many of the reps to the older guys and starters who won't play in the game. He wants to see Sanders and the rest of the young guys "play fast" in the game, so he'll keep the concepts simple and adjust to whatever the Panthers defense is doing."I do think it's a great challenge for a team in those preseason game settings to just trust what you see and have discussions on the sideline about what you're seeing," Stefanski said. "You typically don't see a ton of looks that are unusual, per se. So if you stick to your rules and you stick to what you've been taught over the last few weeks, you should be able to operate and function well."Sanders was shut down Saturday during practice after reporting right shoulder soreness but declared himself 100 percent Monday and was a full participant the last two practices."I believe we're past that," Stefanski said. "He's gotten treatment. I think we're fine."Sanders has spent time with All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett during practices, picking his brain and forming a bond."He's funny, he's optimistic, he's light-hearted, but he works hard," Garrett said. "He takes it seriously, his craft, and he's watching what the others are doing and doing it his own way, which only he can."So looking forward to see him in these preseason games and how he manages the offense. I think he looks good, but all the guys look good right now."The post Excitement surrounds Shedeur Sanders' preseason start Friday first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.