Shedeur Sanders has Saints fans ready to bury Tyler Shough before his first snap

The NFL preseason has only just begun, and what a difference 60 minutes of on-field action makes in the minds of fans who doubted Shedeur Sanders at the 2025 NFL Draft in April.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback got the bulk of snaps on Friday against the Carolina Panthers and he took advantage of every moment. His 138 passing yards and two touchdowns helped lead the team to an impressive 30-10 victory. Sure, it came against backups, and he wasn't asked to push the ball down the field all that much; all the normal preseason caveats apply. But Sanders' pocket management and accuracy had him looking far more polished than the typical fifth-round pick.

Let's not forget, he was projected to potentially be the No. 1 overall pick in April and fell all the way to the fifth round before becoming the fifth QB on the Browns roster. One of the teams that passed on him along the way were the New Orleans Saints, which seemed to be in perfect position to nab him at a bargain amid his free fall. Instead, they chose Louisville passer Tyler Shough. That decision isn't going over so well right now.

Saints fans are ready to cut Tyler Shough loose after Shedeur Sanders' preseason debut

The Saints don't play their first preseason game until Sunday. But just seeing Sanders ball out in Raleigh was enough to cause the fanbase to already regret the team's choice in QB.

Of course, because the internet is the internet, the New York Giants also caught strays from Sanders' looking good early. General manager Joe Schoen traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart instead of the Colorado product.

Now that everyone's emotions are out in the open, let's all come back down to Earth for a moment. Sanders looked great on Friday, yes, but it was only the first game of the preseason. He may not even be on the Browns by the time Week 1 rolls around if another squad makes an offer for him (looking at you, Indianapolis). And obviously it's unfair to render judgment on Shough before we even see him take a live snap.

But if Sanders does remain in Cleveland, the Browns look to have got themselves a bargain bin steal of a quarterback that could find himself on the same level as Brock Purdy if the right injury situation occurs. And with how raw Shough is looking right now, opting for him over Sanders is awfully questionable.