Shedeur Sanders states case as Browns starter: Instant analysis, grade

Shedeur Sanders was granted an opportunity to stake his claim to the Cleveland Browns' starting job during the team's preseason Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills.

After backing up Deshaun Watson in the first preseason contest, Sanders was granted the opportunity to start against the Bills.

Sanders did not disappoint in his extended look. He appeared to be in command of Cleveland's offense, which should give him a legitimate chance to challenge Watson – who is believed to be the slight favorite in the competition – for the starting job.

How did Sanders do in his outing against the Bills? Here's a full breakdown of his performance, along with a grade for it.

Sanders looked much better in his second 2026 preseason outing. The second-year quarterback was in control throughout the afternoon and showed off his abilities as a pocket passer.

During his rookie season, one criticism of Sanders was that he never quite looked comfortable in the pocket. He often ran backward when pressured, which resulted in some ugly sacks.

Through two preseason games, Sanders has looked much better operating out of the pocket. Against the Bills, he showed a willingness to hang in amid pressure and, more importantly, step up to make throws when under heat.

As a direct result of this altered tendency, Sanders was largely able to avoid negative plays. He demonstrated great rhythm throughout the contest, with his timing, field-reading capabilities and command of Todd Monken's offense standing out.

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Shedeur Sanders' timing was perfect on this TD pass ⌚️

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And Sanders was able to scrambled forward when his receivers were covered to avoid sacks. He didn't gain much on those runs – and one was technically credited as a sack for no loss – but they were obviously better than significant losses he took in those situations as a rookie.

The lone blemish on Sanders' outing was his interception, which occurred late in the second quarter. He had a window to hit Jermaine Terry, but the second-year quarterback placed the throw slightly behind the rookie tight end.

Terry probably should have been able to catch the pass even despite its less-than-ideal placement. Instead, it deflected into the air, resulting in the turnover.

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Damar Hamlin comes up with the INT 🙌

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That play highlighted Sanders' need to continue ironing out inconsistencies in his game, especially when it comes to his ball placement. Even so, he demonstrated good decision-making and accuracy throughout his half of action, which makes this an encouraging outing for the Browns quarterback.

Will that be enough to help Sanders win the quarterback battle over Watson? Maybe not, but Sanders' performance should at least keep him in the tight quarterback competition as Monken's decision draws nigh.

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• Completions/Attempts (%): 9/11 (81.8%)
• Passing yards: 74
• Passing touchdowns: 1
• Interceptions: 1
• Passer rating: 87.1
• Rushing yards: 2 (1 carry)
• Sacks: 1 (0 yards)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shedeur Sanders states case as Browns starter: Instant analysis, grade