On his preseason debut, Shedeur Sanders made sure everyone in Dawg Pound territory knew his name. The first couple of series? A little rough around the edges. But once he settled in, it was fireworks. Two absolute darts to Kaden Davis before halftime had the Cleveland Browns faithful buzzing. That’s not just a fifth-round rookie taking reps — that’s a statement.

Sanders finished the half 11-of-18 for 103 yards, sprinkled in 19 rushing yards, and — perhaps the most important stat for any rookie — zero turnovers. For a QB sitting fourth on the official depth chart, that’s as clean as it gets. Sure, those touchdown throws will make the highlight reel, but the real win was in the details. He navigated mid-game O-line reshuffles like a seasoned pro, kept his progressions smooth, and never let the rookie nerves throw off his timing.

More importantly, Sanders proved he could lead. Both of his scoring drives came right after the defense gave up points, and instead of shrinking under pressure, he answered back. He rolled out, zipped passes into tight windows, and kept the tempo exactly where the Browns needed it. That’s the stuff coaches eat up. Head coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear after the game: “Pleased with Shedeur, pleased with the offense, again, not perfect, plenty that we can work on, but I thought the guys did a really nice job of Shedeur and operating, the guys making plays, so again, a ton to teach on.”

Not just Stefanski, but former NFL star Gerald McCoy took notice, too. “Consistency, just whatever you did week one, just build on that. He said he gave himself a C+, I think it was. There’s a lot of things he didn’t do that he wanted to do well. I think one of those things would be him retreating and losing those yards. That’s a mistake that he knows he can’t make,” McCoy pointed out on NFL GameDay.

However, heading into the next set of games, McCoy kept his advice simple but sharp. “But just some of the throws he missed, putting more touch on them, but just be consistent. Do what you did. Don’t try and go out there and do anything that’s over the top,” he said. However, even after a breakout performance that had everyone buzzing, a shadow of bad news now looms over Sanders’ preseason momentum.

Stefanski won’t commit to Shedeur’s role next week despite strong debut

Less than a day after Shedeur Sanders lit up the Dawg Pound in his NFL debut, Kevin Stefanski still wouldn’t bite on the question every Cleveland fan in the city of rock ‘n’ roll was asking — would Sanders get a shot with the first-team offense before next Saturday’s preseason clash in Philly? The buzz was real, but the coach kept his cards close.

Instead, Stefanski kept the focus on the bigger picture. “We need to get through the next couple of days from an injury standpoint and see where everybody is,” he said Saturday. “I’m really focused on all of our quarterbacks’ development and every single one of these reps last night, how important they are. So that’s what I’m focused on more than anything.” In other words, the door’s not shut, but it’s not swinging wide open either.

The reality is, Shedeur Sanders is still the fourth-string QB. He didn’t get a single first-team snap in the first three weeks of camp. And he only started in the preseason opener because Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel are having hamstring issues. Joe Flacco got the bulk of work during last week’s joint sessions. Still, Sanders’ performance made a strong case for at least testing him against starting-caliber defenses.

For his part, Sanders isn’t sweating the uncertainty. “I just don’t think that deep into everything because there’s nothing you’re going to be able to control,” Sanders said in April. “The most you can do is when you get your opportunity, when your number is called, perform, at least do the bare minimum and win the game. That’s what I feel like we did today and definitely things I’m able to grow off of.”

Now, the Browns hit the field again on Monday before heading to Philly on Tuesday for joint practices with the Eagles. Whether Sanders gets the upgrade fans are hoping for — that’s a storyline worth watching.