Deion Sanders weighs in on watching Shedeur make first NFL preseason start: ‘It’s going to be a little weird’

On Friday, Shedeur Sanders will make his NFL preseason debut when he starts for the Cleveland Browns against the Carolina Panthers. Colorado head coach and Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, opened up on his emotions ahead of the game.

“It’s going to be a little weird. It’s going to be a little strange,” Deion Sanders said. “It really is. I got to admit that. But I’m praying for him, and God has set him up and placed him in the perfect position that he needs to be in. It’s going to be a problem after tonight, though. I promise you that.”

Deion Sanders coached his son, Shedeur, the past four seasons in college — two years at Jackson State and two at Colorado. Now, Deion won’t able to give Shedeur advice on the sidelines if he makes a mistake. It’s an unusual feeling for the 57-year-old NFL legend.

Shedeur Sanders is currently listed as the Browns’ QB4 on their depth chart, behind Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel — in that order. However, after Pickett and Gabriel suffered injuries, Sanders was shoved into the preseason starting slot behind center.

It’ll be a massive challenge for Sanders, who hasn’t received first-team reps at practice for much of training camp. Nonetheless, Deion Sanders is confident his son will step up to the challenge.

“That’s how he’s always approached everything, to prepare and approach it like this is it,” Deion Sanders said. “He’s thankful and appreciative of the opportunity. He don’t get caught up in all the rhetoric in the media. He’s far beyond that. He was coached through that when he was a kid. We’ve always gone through that.”

Deion Sanders has no reason to doubt Shedeur. In just two seasons at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders amassed 7,364 passing yards and 64 touchdowns compared to just 13 interceptions. Sanders shattered over 100 program records at Colorado, and was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024.

Unfortunately for Shedeur Sanders, not everybody is as confident in his abilities. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claimed the Browns aren’t doing Sanders any favors by starting him with such little first-team practice experience.

“He’s being set up to fail,” Smith said. “There’s been 11 practices, if I remember correctly. He’s been playing against the third unit. He’s fourth on the depth chart, and then suddenly you throw him into the starting lineup, and he hasn’t had any reps with the first team at all. Think about that.

“So you just gonna throw him to the wolves like that, huh? I mean, if he had first-team snaps in practice, I don’t say that. But he doesn’t. And then all of a sudden, he’s starting tomorrow night. It’s like you want him to fail.”

The Browns and Panthers will square off at 7 p.m. ET tonight. The game will air live on the NFL Network.