Sanders Faces Long Odds in Browns Week 1 Start

Odds-makers favor veteran Joe Flacco to start for the Browns in Week 1, with rookie Shedeur Sanders a distant long shot.

Sanders Faces Long Odds in Browns Week 1 Start

Odds-makers have Cleveland’s Week 1 quarterback role leaning toward Joe Flacco, who opens as a heavy favorite at -310. Rookie Shedeur Sanders sits at +1060, with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel at 18/1. Sanders will likely miss the Browns' next preseason game due to an oblique strain, keeping him on the sideline as the team prepares for its opener against the Bengals. After one preseason outing in Carolina, Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, a promising showing but not a decision-maker for Week 1.

The Browns have signaled Flacco as the expected starter for now, while Sanders and Gabriel battle for longer-term roles. Flacco, 40, has NFL experience and a track record that Cleveland can lean on early in the season. Sanders has been getting meaningful reps in practice but his injury adds uncertainty. The betting market clearly values Flacco’s steadiness for the opener, even as the fan and analyst chatter circles around Sanders’s potential and the franchise’s longer-term plan for the position.

This quarterback ladder matters beyond the first game. It reveals how the Browns balance immediate stability with long-term upside, and how sportsbooks price that tension. A Week 1 start for Flacco would be a conservative opening chapter that lets the team ease a rookie into the NFL rhythm, rather than rush a high ceiling player into a pressure-filled debut.

If Sanders can regain health and momentum, the Browns could gradually shift more snaps his way in September. The real test is whether Cleveland rings the right balance between protecting a young quarterback and building confidence in his readiness for live NFL games. The preseason numbers provide a snapshot, not a verdict, and the story will unfold as Sanders returns to full speed.

Highlights

Time will tell how the Browns balance risk and reward in this quarterback race.