In his final pre-season outing for the Cleveland Browns, Shedeur Sanders didn’t exactly do himself any favours.

Sanders was one of four quarterbacks for the Browns who saw game time in their 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday as Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Tyler Huntley all got a chance under center.

Sanders struggled to replicate his display from the Browns’ pre-season openerCredit: Getty
Flacco and Gabriel enjoyed the majority of the reps as they combined for 200 passing yards and two touchdowns while Huntley completed just a solitary seven-yard pass.

Unfortunately for Sanders, his stat line was the most notable for all the wrong reasons.

How did Sanders perform against the Rams?

While the former Colorado Buffalo impressed in his first preseason outing, and missed the second through injury he completed just three of his six passes for a total of 14 yards on his second appearance.

But the most alarming element of his game against the Rams was the fact he got sacked five times for 41 yards.
The worst of the lot came early in the fourth quarter when the Browns were up 16-10.As Sanders waited for the field to open up on second down and 12 on the Browns’ 45-yard line, he dropped deeper and deeper into the pocket.

He spun away from one Rams defender but only lost more yards as a result.

Sanders, who has been praised by the local community for making an early impression, again looked downfield for a target but couldn’t make a play in time as he was wrapped up for a 24-yard sack.

What was the reaction Sanders’ 24-yard sack?

“The fans love it, but that’s one of those plays where maybe he’s got to roll out and throw it away,” the commentator said.

Sanders was eventually pulled by Browns coach Kevin Stefanski prior to the two-minute drill as Huntley was sent in.

A notable mitigating factor in Sanders’ favour was the fact that by the time he took the field, he didn’t have any of the Browns’ starters on their offensive line or starting receivers to work with, meaning he did not have as easy a ride as Flacco and Gabriel.

The decision from Browns coach Kevin Stefanski to put Sanders behind the Browns’ second and third-stringers prompted a stunning 16-minute rant on X from high-profile sports broadcaster Skip Bayless.

“I just watched what happened to Shedeur Sanders in the Cleveland Browns’ third and final preseason game,” Bayless said.

“I am outraged, I’m sickened and I’m saddened by the way Shedeur continues to be treated in the National Football League and by those sorry a** Browns and that sorry a** Kevin Stefanski.

“Commenting on Sanders’ 24-yard sack, Bayless said: “Shedeur obviously held the ball too long, but he’s trying to make a play because he’s trying to make a splash.”

Former NFL QB Chase Daniel, who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2009, echoed a similar sentiment on X.

The son of Deion Sanders took his time to get up after being sacked for 24 yardsCredit: NFL Network

Questions remain as to whether Sanders will earn a spot on the Browns’ 53-man rosterCredit: Getty
“Protection hasn’t been great, but Shedeur Sanders has to get rid of the football,” Daniels wrote.

“He’s drifting like crazy in the pocket.”

lacco, who will enter the 2025 season as the Browns’ starting QB, took a more reflective view on Sanders’ struggles and referenced his own woes early in his career, attributing it to simply being ‘part of the game’.

“That’s part of being a rookie, you’re going to get thrown into situations you don’t think are ideal,” Flacco told reporters after the game.

“I got thrown into a game against New England (Patriots) with two minutes left. I fumbled on the one-yard line and they scored two plays later.

That was John Harbaugh’s first pre-season game (as Baltimore Ravens coach) and he was not happy.
“It’s part of the game, it’s part of what makes a football player, is learning how to deal with those situations and learn from them. Listen, we’ve all been there, it’s part of the game.”Sanders won’t have to wait much longer to learn if he has shown enough during pre-season, with the Browns due to lock in their 53-man roster on Tuesday.