Shedeur Sanders will have his chance to shine after all.
Amid all the noise of the Cleveland Browns quarterback circus, the rookie who suffered an all-time draft slide is set to start in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Such news signalled the latest twist in a long-running Browns battle, given that just days ago, he was buried on the depth chart as Cleveland’s fourth string QB.
But injuries in the room mean Sanders will go from fourth choice to first man on the field.
Veteran Joe Flacco, who returned to the Browns for what will be his 18th NFL season, was never expected to suit up at the Bank of America Stadium.
He is by far the most experienced QB on the roster, and has served as the leader of the training camp competition.
But Cleveland’s preferred backups, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, also won’t likely play in either of the first two preseason games.
Pickett has been a limited participant since injuring his hamstring on July 26, while third-round pick Gabriel has also been dealing with hamstring tightness in recent days.
That has opened the door for Sanders to start, despite the fact the Browns have also signed veteran QB Tyler Huntley to ease their injury issues.
Seeing Shedeur, the once highly-touted prospect out of Colorado, suit up against the Panthers will delight plenty of NFL fans.
Despite slipping to the fifth round of the draft, he still has a huge following who will back him to prove everyone wrong when he takes to the field.
NFL icon sends support to Shedeur Sanders
Football legend Reggie Bush is one of those people.
After it became public knowledge that Sanders was set to start on Friday, Super Bowl XLIV champion Bush sent him a six-word message.
“Give the people what they want,” the former Heisman Trophy winner wrote, with the hands clapping emoji.
While Sanders has plenty of people in his corner against the Panthers, he will be hoping to shake off an issue he has battled since his college days.
What injury did Shedeur Sanders have in college?
Over last weekend, it emerged that the 23-year-old was forced to sit out some practice sessions with arm soreness.
That is nothing new, as Sanders often dealt with the issue in Boulder.
“In college, it was often,” he said of soreness.
“It’s just adjusting to starting and stopping, honestly. That’s all it truly is. Sometimes you go in hot.
“Then, you’ll wait for a second and then get cold.
“Then, get back hot and then get cold. My arm and body wasn’t used to that.
“It’s just an adjustment within my body, within my arm.”
Against the Panthers, Sanders will hope he can drive the Browns offense down the field without too much starting and stopping.
But he will have to do it without some of Cleveland’s biggest weapons.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday that he will rest many of the starters on Friday night.
Jerry Jeudy, WR1, will not play, and Sanders is expected to be on the field with the second and third-string offense against Carolina’s starters.
BROWNS QUARTERBACK INJURIES
The Cleveland Browns have battled injuries in training camp
Joe Flacco – Fully healthy
Kenny Pickett – Hamstring injury
Dillon Gabriel – Hamstring tightness
Shedeur Sanders – Arm soreness
Deshaun Watson – Ruptured Achilles tendon
Tyler Huntley – Fully healthy
But should Shedeur play as well as some believe possible, he’ll get a much-needed leg-up in a Cleveland quarterback battle that is expected to take plenty more twists and turns before the regular season begins.
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