The Cleveland Browns wrapped up their 2025 preseason with a 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
While the victory clinched the Browns an undefeated preseason, the day was not a great one for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders returned to action against the Rams after missing Cleveland’s second preseason game because of an oblique injury. He was the third quarterback into the game, behind veteran starter Joe Flacco and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel, and played most of the second half.
While many were hoping Sanders would build upon a strong preseason debut, the Colorado product instead endured a trying outing where he was under great duress and struggled to generate positive plays.
Here’s what to know about Sanders’ second preseason game, as well as performance grades for the fifth-round rookie.
How did Shedeur Sanders play today?
Sanders played most of the second half of the Browns’ preseason Week 3 matchup with the Rams and endured a difficult performance. The main issue? Sanders was sacked nearly as many times (5) as he had total pass attempts (6) in the contest.
Part of the issue was that Sanders was playing behind Cleveland’s backup offensive line. That unit struggled to adequately protect the rookie, leading him to be under relentless pressure while he was on the field.
That said, Sanders was not blameless for the sacks. He frequently held onto the ball too long while looking to evade pressure and make plays.
Sanders also continued to show an instinct to drift back in the pocket while under pressure, which was the lone major negative from his strong preseason Week 1 start against the Carolina Panthers. This bad habit caused Sanders to absorb bigger losses on his sacks against Los Angeles and routinely put Cleveland far behind the chains.
To Sanders’ credit, he did show a willingness to move around the pocket and attempt to get into throwing position. In one near-spectacular play, he avoided two tacklers in the backfield before nearly hitting running back Trayveon Williams for a gain over the middle. The pass was just slightly behind the veteran, who couldn’t reel it in.
That about described the day for Sanders. He was not nearly as sharp as he was in his preseason debut and didn’t flash the same sort of high-level arm talent and quality ball placement he showed against Carolina. He simply tried to do a bit too much when he should have focused more on getting the ball out of his hands quickly.
While it’s hard to parse out exactly how much blame for Sanders’ struggles should be placed on him and how much belongs to the shoddy offensive line play, there’s no doubting this was a subpar outing for the rookie.
And given that the Colorado product gave himself a ‘C+’ for his strong debut, he probably will be even harsher on himself after Saturday’s showing.
Shedeur Sanders preseason Week 3 grade: D+
Shedeur Sanders stats
Sanders was sacked five times against the Rams and lost a whopping 41 yards on those plays during the Browns’ 19-17 win.
Below is a look at Sanders’ full stats from the contest:
- Completions/Attempts: 3/6 (50%)
- Passing yards: 14
- Passing touchdowns: 0
- Interceptions: 0
- Passer rating: 56.2
- Sacks: 5
