Cleveland Browns fans will get their first look at Shedeur Sanders in a live game Friday as the 2025 fifth-round draft pick is projected to start at quarterback in the team's Week 1 preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland.com's Mary Kay CabotreportedTuesday. Sanders finds himself in line for the start amid injuries to fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett, who's heading into his fourth NFL season.Veteran Joe Flacco was recently listed as QB1 on the the team's first unofficial depth chartfor the 2025 season, with Pickett as the backup, followed by Gabriel at No. 3 and Sanders at No. 4. The Browns' quarterback saga is one of the most-discussed stories of the offseason as Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders all compete for the starting spot left after the team moved on from Deshaun Watson, who is expected to miss the season due to an Achilles injury. Although Sandersdid notget many reps with the first team during camp, he stayed positive throughout the process. The former Colorado signal-caller noted how the lack of reps did not affect his work ethic. "That's not my place to answer," Sanders told reporters Friday, viaESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. "I feel like it's not in my control, so I'm not even gonna think about that or have that even in my thought process. "There's a lot of people that wanna have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here, and I'm thankful to have the opportunity, so, whatever that is it is." "It doesn't really faze me. You gotta understand, we came all the way from an HBCU to a Power 5 [conference team], and now we here, so," he continued. "At this point, you look around, there's nothing that's a challenge, I would say." [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Sanders also had animpressive showingin Day 4 of camp, throwing three touchdowns during the workout, including this one to fellow rookie Luke Floriea. Shedeur Sanders first pass attempt results in a touchdown to Kent St alumn Luke Florieapic.twitter.com/ArYmULSdUO — WZIP Sports (@WZIPSports)July 26, 2025 Cleveland will play three preseason games, starting with the Panthers and matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams scheduled for mid- and late-August to follow. They will begin their regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals at home on Sept. 7.