Shedeur Sanders had an impressive preseason debut and has now created a viable path for himself to move up the Browns’ quarterback depth chart.
Hopefully that’s not an overreaction because many eye-rolling hot takes were made after Week 1 of the NFL preseason. I just didn’t want my first takeaway for this column to come off as a slight to Sanders, who has created a bigger divide than those arguing about the four major cities in the United States. (It’s New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami, by the way.)
Sanders making the most of his opportunity against the Panthers, going 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns, will certainly gain him more attention from coach Kevin Stefanski. Unless Cleveland is truly set on burying Sanders on the depth chart, as the conspiracy theorists say. Now that’s a hot take!
Sanders’s strong performance did create a domino effect for overreactions. Some were quick to say the Saints made a mistake drafting Tyler Shough over Sanders after Shough threw an ugly pick-six in his preseason debut against the Chargers. Those takes didn’t stick, though, after Shough delivered a 54-yard touchdown bomb a few minutes later.
It’s way too early to determine how Sanders and Shough will perform as rookies, which is difficult to predict anyway because they’re in very different situations. The best thing you can do as an unproven player this time of year is make the most of your opportunities. Sanders and Shough did that, and so did Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart.
Let’s assess how some of the rookie QBs did last week in our preseason Week 1 takeaways.
Shedeur Sanders being himself could go a long way
Perhaps the most impressive part of Sanders’s preseason performance was the confidence he displayed and how much fun he had on the field. And, honestly, that’s probably the best way to look at this to avoid overreacting or underreacting to a polarizing player’s debut against Carolina’s vanilla defense, which had a historically bad showing last year.
Sanders hitting his signature watch celebration multiple times during a preseason game might have been viewed as annoying or coming from a player who hasn’t learned his lesson from his draft slide. However, Sanders was just being himself and didn’t appear to be someone mentally defeated by being drafted in the fifth round after expecting to go in the first. To elaborate more on this point, Sam Darnold recently told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that not being his authentic self played a part in why he failed as the Jets’ starting quarterback after they took him No. 3 in the 2018 draft.
So if playing with bravado in an August exhibition matchup is what helps Sanders succeed, then he approached his debut perfectly. He’s now created a path for himself to move up the depth chart, which seemed extremely challenging in Cleveland not that long ago.
Sanders didn’t do himself any favors with his speeding tickets, and he probably has a few regrets about how he operated in the lead up to the draft. Still, the son of the legendary Deion Sanders has the right approach by moving on from the past, staying competitive and just being himself. He caught a break with Joe Flacco resting and Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel not being available due to injuries. However, Sanders made the most of his opportunity and showed that he belonged in the NFL.
The jury is still out on his upside, but he’s confident, accurate, can extend plays, and most importantly, he probably has the Browns’ coaching staff wanting to see more. So if they start the year with Flacco or Pickett, they could soon be thrusting Sanders onto the field if the 2025 season doesn’t get off to a good start.
Jaxson Dart could start sooner than later
Like most of the rookie quarterbacks this past week, Dart rushed a few throws, but his positive plays against the Bills had many Giants fans excited for his future, and rightfully so. Dart’s aggressive sideline touchdown pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey flashed his high upside on his way to finishing 12-of-19 for 154 yards.
Giants coach Brian Daboll is a fan of Dart’s gunslinger ways, and he might turn to him sooner rather than later if the inexperienced quarterback shows in practice he’s able to protect the football with those aggressive habits. Daboll has no time to waste after how poorly the team played the past two seasons, and could be quick to pull Russell Wilson at the first sign of trouble.
Wilson has dealt with identity issues on the field the past few seasons with the Steelers and Broncos, going back and forth from a timid passer to a turnover-prone signal-caller. With a stacked defense (more on that later), it might not be a bad idea to start Dart, the No. 25 pick, after the first month of the season. This was the case with the Patriots last year when they forced Drake Maye to learn from the sidelines before being thrown into the fire in the middle of his rookie year.
Tyler Shough not fazed by mistakes
The Saints want Shough to be the starter. Still, they’re likely gauging whether he has the mental fortitude to be thrown into the fire and is capable of overcoming mistakes along the way with a roster in flux amid a transition year with a new coaching staff.
After throwing the late pass that was returned 43 yards for a touchdown, Shough took advantage of the protection he received in the pocket and unleashed a perfect pass in stride for Mason Tipton’s 54-yard touchdown catch. That play has likely stuck with coach Kellen Moore, and don’t be surprised if Shough gets more first-team reps than Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener this week. Shough (15-of-22 for 165 yards) had the best preseason Week 1 performance of the Saints’ three competing quarterbacks.
The Saints have been tabbed by many to receive the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, but they might be more competitive than that if Shough continues to be a quick learner. The second-round rookie has the skill players with Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed to make some noise in this season.
Cam Ward needs more attention
Ward might be the most ignored No. 1 pick in recent memory. Even I’m guilty of that by mentioning the Titans quarterback after Sanders, Dart and Shough.
However, it’s time to start paying more attention to Ward based on his preseason debut against the Buccaneers. Ward, who went 5-of-8 for 67 yards, was calm in the pocket, accurate and rarely rushed throws. Some of his passes were a bit low, but the ball placement was good enough to allow his pass catchers to make plays. Also, Ward had strong chemistry with veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley, throwing in his direction three times for 50 yards, including a 27-yard connection.
Oftentimes, the rookie quarterbacks who have poise and accuracy are the ones who hit the ground running. That was the case with Washington’s Jayden Daniels last year. This is not to say that Ward will have similar success in Tennessee because it remains to be seen how well he can extend plays. Still, it’s easy to see that Ward has the makeup to thrive under pressure.
Giants’ defensive line will be a problem
Going back to the Giants, if they were in a different division or had an easier schedule to start the year, I probably would be a lot higher on them because of their scary defensive front.
Rookie Abdul Carter (six snaps, one tackle) didn’t play much against the Bills, but his skills as a pass rusher popped off the TV screen, generating plenty of pressure. He’s likely going to take advantage of the many favorable matchups he’s going to see playing next to Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence II and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
If defensive coordinator Shane Bowen can find the right rotations for this stacked defensive line, that might be enough for the Giants to be competitive even with an inconsistent Wilson or an inexperienced Dart. It also helps that the offense would likely get extra cracks at scoring if the defense is able to generate plenty of takeaways.
Still, that might not be enough to compete with the Eagles, Commanders and Cowboys in the NFC East. Also, New York opens the season at Washington and Dallas, with home games against the Chiefs and the Chargers.
Anthony Richardson is lucky Colts don’t have better QB options
Anthony Richardson has received countless opportunities to prove himself as a former top-five pick, but he’s now benefiting from the Colts’ lack of QB options.
Had Daniel Jones delivered an impressive preseason performance against the Ravens, the Colts might have had extensive conversations about how to move on from Richardson, who once again showed he can’t be trusted to stay available.
Richardson, the 2023 No. 4 pick, failed to notice Ravens edge rusher David Ojabo heading his way unblocked and it led to him sustaining a finger injury and exiting early from the preseason opener. Richardson avoided serious injury and returned to practice on Saturday—it wasn’t a good performance, according to the local reporters.
Still, Richardson should have known a defender was coming his way with his running back assigned a passing play, showing that he still struggles with the mental side of football. Richardson has the skill set that every quarterback covets, but a strong arm and elite athleticism don’t do much if the player can’t stay on the field. Richardson has built a lengthy list of injuries through two NFL seasons, including a shoulder injury that cost him most of his rookie year and has lingered into this offseason.
As for Jones, he missed a golden opportunity to separate himself from Richardson after producing a rocky preseason performance. The former Giants’ signal-caller was 10-of-21 for 144 yards and no touchdowns.
These aren’t the best QB options for a front office and coaching staff that have plenty of pressure to deliver wins this season.
Panthers could be this year’s sleeper team
I was ridiculed after I predicted in May that the Panthers would win the NFC South this season. I’ll admit I wasn’t very confident with the bold pick, but I feel great about it now after I saw the chemistry between third-year quarterback Bryce Young and first-round rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
McMillan, this year’s No. 8 pick, has generated plenty of hype this summer for his ability to stretch the field and snag contested passes, and that’s exactly what he displayed on his 30-yard reception against the Browns—credit to Young for placing the ball where only McMillan could make a play on it.
It’s only one preseason game, but Young could be headed for a breakout season, especially with the improvements he displayed during the second half of last season. Not only does Young already have chemistry with his new rookie weapon, but he’s spreading the ball around, hitting Jalen Coker for a five-yard touchdown pass on the drive ignited by McMillan’s lengthy catch. Young finished 4-of-6 for 58 yards and the one touchdown, and McMillan ended his preseason debut with two catches for 43 yards.
There’s plenty to like about what coach Dave Canales is building in Carolina.
J.J. McCarthy’s playmaking ability should benefit Vikings
It’s easy to say second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy should succeed as the starting quarterback in Minnesota because of the weapons around him and because he’s working under coach Kevin O’Connell. However, the legitimate franchise quarterbacks are the ones who are able to create plays when the ideal surroundings aren’t around.
McCarthy, who missed his rookie year due to a knee injury, showed flashes of being a quarterback capable of leading his team amid tough circumstances during his short preseason performance against the Texans. McCarthy made plays with his legs and made throws on the run, finishing 4-of-7 for 30 yards, with one carry for eight yards.
McCarthy’s best throws were to wide receiver Jordan Addison (three catches, 33 yards), but Addison was recently hit with a three-game suspension to start the season. Also, star receiver Justin Jefferson has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
McCarthy still has to prove himself, but his knack for extending plays could help this team in the long run and possibly give O’Connell another element for his playbook, something he didn’t have with Darnold last season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What We Learned in NFL Preseason Week 1: Shedeur Sanders Among Rookie QBs to Shine.