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Shedeur Sanders Scores First NFL Touchdown in Preseason Debut

The Browns quarterback has a lot to prove during his first preseason start.

Madison Williams

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made a great run for a first down in his preseason debut.
Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made a great run for a first down in his preseason debut. / David Jensen/Getty Images
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Shedeur Sanders made his NFL preseason debut on Friday night as the Browns traveled to face the Panthers. It didn't take long for him to throw the first official touchdown pass of his NFL career.

At the end of the first quarter, Browns linebacker Nathaniel Watson recovered a fumble by the Panthers in order to get the ball back after a failed drive by Cleveland. From there, the Browns were immediately set up for first-and-goal on the 10-yard line. On the team's second play of the drive, Sanders threw a pass to Kaden Davis for a seven-yard touchdown.

Earlier in the first quarter, Sanders showed out by electing to hustle down the field on a third-and-9. He scrambled for 10 yards and succeeded in getting his first NFL first down.

Sanders hasn't been considered a frontrunner for the starting quarterback job this whole offseason as he's been battling against Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel for the role. Sanders was even put in last on the Browns' first unofficial depth chart of the year. But, with both Pickett and Gabriel out with injuries at the time, Sanders was given the starting job for the preseason opener.

We'll see how his performance on Friday night impacts his status on the depth chart.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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