The Cleveland Browns defeated the Carolina Panthers in their first preseason matchup, and amongst many things, rookie QB Shedeur Sanders proved an exciting point.<\/p>\n
In the 30-10 victory over Bryce Young and the Panthers, there were a handful of things that stood out in a big way both offensively and defensively. Today, we\u2019re going to dive into a few of the most important takeaways from Friday night.<\/p>\n
Shedeur Sanders wasn\u2019t fazed in his first live game action<\/p>\n
Sanders looked extremely calm, cool, and collected throughout the entire matchup, making several passes that showcased his near-flawless mechanics under pressure. One of my \u201ckey\u201d things to watch out for heading into the game was Shedeur\u2019s ability to handle pressure in a live game setting.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, he handled it incredibly well and even managed to make a few top-notch throws in the face of danger. One of his best throws of the night was in Cleveland\u2019s endzone when he was able to step to the right, reset his feet, and fire a ball out to Gage Larvadain with defenders closing in on him.<\/p>\n
He finished the game with 138 passing yards, a 60.8% completion rate, 2 touchdowns, and 19 rushing yards. Sanders did take at least one incredibly unnecessary sack, but hopefully he\u2019ll be able to kick his bad habit of trying \u201ctoo\u201d hard to make something happen, and just throw the ball away when he has the time to.<\/p>\n
Julian Okwara dominated everyone<\/p>\n
Okwara was probably the biggest surprise performer of the night, racking up 2 sacks and multiple QB pressures. He was excellent all night long and was able to dip-n-rip his way to the quarterback on multiple occasions. It\u2019s going to be interesting to see if he ends up being the favorite to be DE5 in Cleveland this season.<\/p>\n
If Okwara has a couple more good performances during the preseason, he could have a great chance at making the final 53-man roster heading into the regular season.<\/p>\n
Jamari Thrash looks a lot stronger than he was in 2024<\/p>\n
Throughout the summer, Thrash has appeared to be slightly bigger than he was as a rookie. He\u2019s still listed at 190 lbs. on the roster, but I\u2019d bet good money that he\u2019s closer to the 200-pound mark right now.<\/p>\n
He only caught two passes on the night, but on one of them, it took three Carolina defenders to bring him down. If everything goes according to plan, Thrash should be the starter in the slot and have a great year in 2025 in the short areas of the field.<\/p>\n
Carson Schwesinger is going to be a defensive stalwart<\/p>\n
In the short amount of time that he was on the field on Friday, Schwesinger was seemingly in on every defensive stop. His instincts are impeccable, he stays true to his positional keys, and he does a great job of processing opposing offenses both pre- and post-snap.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t fooled by play-action or misdirection on Friday and did an excellent job of shedding blocks at the point of attack. Schwesinger\u2019s going to be a fixture in the middle of Cleveland\u2019s defense for years to come, and he shows All-Pro potential in multiple aspects.<\/p>\n
The defensive backfield is very intriguing<\/p>\n
Cleveland\u2019s defensive backs played really well throughout the night, regardless of who was out there. Nik Needham had a nice interception, and rookie CB Dom Jones showed off why the Browns gave him a decent amount of money as an undrafted free agent signing in April.<\/p>\n
Fellow undrafted rookie S Donovan McMillon also looked good patrolling the middle of the field and had a nice pass breakup in the third quarter. He\u2019s done very well in the offseason and could be a legitimate threat to make the team as the fifth safety. If he continues to have a decent preseason, he might give Christopher Edmonds a run for his money in 2025.<\/p>\n
What are some of your biggest takeaways or observations from Cleveland\u2019s first preseason game? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.<\/p>\n