The NFL got its first look at Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Friday night. In the team's preseason opener on the road against the Carolina Panthers, Sanders received the start due to injuries being nursed by Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel.

Cleveland's coaching staff faces mounting fan pressure to promote Sanders while navigating the reality that developmental opportunities become increasingly scarce as Week 1 approaches

Sanders, conceptually the QB4 in Cleveland, hasn't played with the first-stringers yet in practice. Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel all have, but none of them played on Friday night. That allowed Sanders to start for the Browns in Carolina, and he threw two pinpoint touchdowns without any interceptions or sacks.