Browns QB battle makes Panthers 2025 debut one of NFL's best preseason games to watch

The next time the Carolina Panthers take the field for a live game will be Friday, August 8 when they host the Cleveland Browns at Bank of America Stadium in their first preseason matchup of the year. While the Panthers are not exactly a big draw for TV ratings, this will nevertheless be one of the league's most highly-anticipated games in August.

According to Frank Schwab at Yahoo Sports, the Carolina-Cleveland matchup is one of the top 10 games to watch on the NFL's preseason schedule this year - and it's the first one on his list.

While we all can't wait to see rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan make his debut for the Panthers, the reason is the Browns' annual quarterback competition, which features the biggest name in this year's draft class, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, who has the top-selling jersey among rookies.

Yahoo Sports on Panthers-Browns preseason game

"The Browns made themselves a story for August with their four-headed quarterback room. All eyes will be on Shedeur Sanders, even if he's fourth on the depth chart right now. How the Browns split time between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders will be a major topic in August. If Sanders gets the fourth quarters of Cleveland's preseason games, it will keep viewers interested. On the other side, this could be a chance to see Panthers first-round pick receiver Tetairoa McMillan in his first NFL preseason snaps."

From where we're sitting ancient Joe Flacco is the only really logical choice to begin the year as the Browns' starter, even if this competition is supposedly for the starting job. More likely it's about deciding who will be Flacco's primary backup between Sanders, Gabriel and Pickett.

Of those three Sanders definitely has the highest ceiling and is also probably the most NFL-ready, despite Pickett having been in the leage for three years already. Sanders may have slipped in the draft, but that has more to do with off-field "issues" and resentment towards his father than anything to do with Shedeur's ability.

On film Sanders most-closely resembles the new-and-improved version of Geno Smith that we saw on the Seattle Seahawks over the last three seasons - ie, accurate, quick to process and quick to throw, aggressive and mobile enough to gash a man defense for an occasional first down with his legs.

As for the Panthers, they'll probably be playing their starters on defense after an atrocious showing in 2024. Derrick Brown shoud be kept in bubble wrap but everyone else who's projected to be part of the first-team defense should see at least a few series. The real key players to watch will be Carolina's two rookie edge rushers, Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, who should see a lot of snaps even if they're not starters.

At quarterback we are highly unlikely to see Bryce Young take the field - instead fans should expect a little bit of Andy Dalton and a lot of Jack Plummer and Ethan Garbers.

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