Shedeur Sanders may not be down in the dumps after all, as he is expected to start the Cleveland Browns’ first preseason game on Friday against the Carolina Panthers. 

Sanders had been dealing with a shoulder injury but appears in good enough health to take the first official snaps of the season for the Browns. 

The move to start Sanders is a bit of a surprise, as Cleveland has five quarterbacks on the roster, with Joe Flacco nearly guaranteed to make the team’s 53-man roster. 

The nod being given to Sanders also comes a day after the Colorado alumnus was given back-to-back pieces of bad news.  

First, on the Browns’ depth chart, Sanders was listed last of the four quarterbacks who were on the roster over the weekend. 

In order, Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Dillion Gabriel were listed ahead of him. 

Shedeur Sanders may not be down in the dumps, as he will start the Browns preseason game

The move to start Sanders is a surprise, as Cleveland has five quarterbacks on the roster

Pickett and Gabriel both have hamstring injuries at the moment, prompting the latter half of the double trouble.

The Browns signed Tyler Huntley on Monday, adding a fifth quarterback to their training camp roster.  

Huntley has years of NFL experience and further complicates the path to a roster spot for Sanders.   

With Huntley’s addition, there is no doubt one of the five, at least, will no longer be with the organization in a little over a month. 

Cleveland could take the strategy of having three quarterbacks on its active roster, while keeping the fourth on the practice squad, which has all four men previously thought to be vying for the job with the Browns. 

Sanders’ path to staying on the Browns’ active roster will become easier should he wow the coaching staff on Friday.