The Cleveland Browns‘ much-anticipated preseason opener has wrapped up, and they were able to overcome a slow start to walk away with a comfortable 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. The big storyline heading into Friday night was the debut of rookie fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders, and the quarterback’s first snaps are drawing acclaim across the spectrum.
With more eyes than usual on a Browns preseason game, many viewers — fans, former NFL stars, and other faces in sports — had plenty to say about the team’s preseason opener and the electric debut of Sanders.
How fans reacted to Friday’s win
While Sanders was the focus of much of the discourse surrounding the Browns’ win over the Panthers, he wasn’t the only Brown to make their first appearance on Friday. Rookies like Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, and Dylan Sampson also made their NFL debuts against the Panthers, and there were several other standouts on both sides of the ball. Rookie receivers Luke Floriea and Gage Larvadain had impressive showings, while fellow rookie Adin Huntington was a popular man among fans for his efforts on Friday night. Let’s take a look at what fans were saying about the Browns’ win:
Me to all the Shedeur Sanders doubters rn
pic.twitter.com/QbNq6nbEhn— Ace♠️ (@Ace_2o) August 9, 2025
could care less about he box score
Shedeur’s played smart, accurate, and has looked very elusive all night
Future is Bright 🙌 pic.twitter.com/yiaSZKMFoo
— 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙌 (@clehqsports) August 9, 2025
Okay I’ve seen enough.
Shedeur Sanders to Luke Floriea is gonna be an insane combo
— skeigg (@skeiggold) August 9, 2025
Luke Floriea, Shedeur Sanders and Gage Larvadain tonight #Brownspic.twitter.com/gOxAzcipld
— Keaton Wineman (@KeatonWineman) August 8, 2025
just want to remind everyone….they said those “scrambles” in practice were sacks….they said those throws wouldnt happen in NFL…
— Chef Zae (@ChefZae23) August 8, 2025
One guy that’s also stood out depth wise just on his hustle – 66. Adin Huntington. 6’1” 281 lb DE. Dude playing backup DE and ST running down the punt returners.
— JimmyB #D4L (@warrior0227) August 9, 2025
ADIN HUNTINGTON IS THAT DUDE!
— Gpodawund (@GpodawundNFL) August 9, 2025
As a Browns fan, I love that Mason Graham is already making NFL defenses double team him (even if it’s just a preseason game)
— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) August 8, 2025
Yeah I’m all in.
Wrist up.
— Browns Country (@TheFanDomeShow) August 9, 2025
#Dawgpound it’s official. . . I LOVE THIS KID!!!! @ShedeurSanders#CLEvsCAR#ClevelandBrowns#NFLPreseasonpic.twitter.com/Db0k1fcSzd
— BrownsFanGurl (@BrownsFanGurl) August 9, 2025
What a time to be a Browns fan.
— Flacco Garrett Stefanski Era 🐶 (@MylesOffTheEdge) August 9, 2025
Tbh: watching the game now…I like Marshall at running back.
I’m in the 2nd quarter but he was doing some good running.#DawgPound
— COACH FRESH (@CoachRhodes602) August 9, 2025
What current and former NFL players were watching
Browns’ undrafted rookie wide receiver Kaden Davis got a shoutout from Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Jourdan Lewis after his two-touchdown night, while some former NFL stars also had their eyes on the Browns’ rookie quarterback (including a certain Hall-of-Famer who happens to also be his father):
KD is Shedeur’s favorite target 🔥 https://t.co/INPFk2xA18
— Jourdan Lewis (@JourdanJD) August 9, 2025
Yes Lawd! Yes! @ShedeurSanders
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) August 8, 2025
👀👀👀👀 you can’t hide a ⭐️ LFG @ShedeurSanders
— LeSean Shady Mccoy (@CutonDime25) August 9, 2025
Shedeur is a cool QB aesthetic.
I’ll always root for a players son
— kyle (@Ky1eLong) August 9, 2025
Shedeur Sanders 5th round pick? 🧐 about to be the steal of the century if he keep this up!
— Jonathan Stewart (@Jonathanstewar1) August 9, 2025
Other notable faces in sports chime in
As previously mentioned, Friday night’s game was under a much bigger spotlight than most preseason games typically are, so we’ve even got reactions from stars in other sports like Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, and, of course, Cleveland legend LeBron James:
Super happy for @ShedeurSanders! You can try to break a young fella’s spirit but you can’t touch his talent! Do the damn thing Shedeur!!!
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) August 9, 2025
How can you not love the Sanders story?
Get that hate out ya heart if you don’t like it, he not gonna be perfect but he definitely a Pro!— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) August 9, 2025
That young 🤴🏾 looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high 🙌🏾🫡
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 9, 2025
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns Twitter reacts to Shedeur Sanders’ stellar debut vs. Panthers
