The hype surrounding Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has intensified since his impressive preseason debut last week.
Sanders, fourth on the team’s depth chart, started in Carolina after quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel were ruled out with hamstring injuries, and veteran Joe Flacco sat out, as planned.
Sanders played nearly three quarters in last Friday's 30-10 win, completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two TD passes.
Ideastream Public Media’s sports commentator Terry Pluto said he’s never seen a rookie generate so much widespread attention.
“Sanders is like, you know, a rock star or a rap star, that, his fans are fanatical," Pluto said. "And if you write something kind of remotely negative about his performance or whatever, they come out and email you and try to text you, or whatever, to criticize you. The attention is just to me, it's mind boggling.”
Sanders is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and was coached by his father both in high school and college at University of Colorado. A projected first-round pick, Sanders fell to the fifth round and was selected by the Browns as the No. 144 pick.
Pluto says much of Sanders’ appeal lies in his brand. He comes to Cleveland with millions of dollars in Name, Image and Likeness endorsements and a social media following in the millions. In May, Sports Illustrated reported that Sanders’ independent apparel line, 2Legendary, was completely sold out in less than two weeks. Fanatics and NBC Sports report that Sanders has the #1 selling rookie jersey in the NFL, surpassing the top two picks in the draft, Cam Ward and Travis Hunter.
“What Deion Sanders understood better than almost any other college coaches was, especially a guy who wasn't coaching at Ohio State or somewhere big, you had to quote, 'create the brand,'" Pluto said. "Remember, even when Deion played, he was ‘Prime Time.’ Then he was coaching, (he’s) ‘Coach Prime.'"
Meanwhile, on the field, Pluto said Sanders’ debut was intriguing.
“I was impressed with the poise he showed," Pluto said. "I was impressed with the fact that he clearly learned an offense in Cleveland that was much different than what he had at Colorado and more complex. And it was clear that he had the ability, at least against backups with Carolina and a few starters, to make some good passes under some pressure. So, it was a great debut. It was a lot of fun.”
Pluto said Sanders’ performance drew mixed reactions.
“My feeling is his fans want to send him straight to Canton (and) put him in the Hall of Fame," Pluto said. "His detractors (say) that doesn't mean anything, it's just a preseason game. It's something in the middle. There was something there that is intriguing. And secondly, there was something there was a whole lot of fun to watch for Browns fans.”
Pluto says the impressive debut shouldn’t change the team’s plan to start the season.
“I do not want either Sanders or Dillon Gabriel, their other rookie, to open the season as a starter," Pluto said. "Their first six games are against teams that are combined record of 71-41. Remember, this is Cleveland, an average of three to four quarterbacks play (per season). So, the short timeline, it shouldn't change anything.”
Pluto believes the team will start with Flacco under center. As for Sanders, Pluto says fans will likely get more chances to see him play in the next two preseason games.
“He may now get more snaps in those games, just to see how he does," Pluto said. "I have no idea how this plays out, but certainly it's become a lot more interesting than I ever would have guessed.”
