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Shedeur Sanders's NFL Debut Drove Best Preseason Ratings in a Decade

Everybody wants to see what Sanders can do.

Liam McKeone

Shedeur Sanders threw for two touchdowns in his first NFL preseason game and many, many fans watched.
Shedeur Sanders threw for two touchdowns in his first NFL preseason game and many, many fans watched. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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Shedeur Sanders is no normal fifth-round pick. The rookie quarterback's shocking draft day fall was the talk of the NFL for weeks and his first training camp has taken place under an intense microscope. It turns out interest in the Browns' young signal-caller is widespread even beyond draft gurus and passionate Cleveland fans.

On Wednesday, the NFL announced that Sanders's NFL preseason debut for the Browns against the Panthers ranked as one of the two most-watched preseason games in a decade, alongside Texans-Vikings from the same week. Sanders was named the starter due to injury and threw a pair of touchdown passes.

While there was undoubtedly some kind of boost from it being the first week of NFL action since last season, the Sanders hype is real. Regardless of what one may think about his future in the pros he is a lightning rod for attention right now and his story will only draw more eyeballs as the season approaches.

An early accolade for Sanders as he battles for a spot on the Browns' crowded depth chart.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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