Shedeur Sanders will have a familiar set of hands waiting when he takes over the Cleveland Browns offense Sunday.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is expected to play against the New Orleans Saints after finishing the week without a game designation. His addition to the injury report Thursday with a groin issue had raised concern about whether Sanders would have Cleveland’s leading receiver available for his first start of the season.
Fannin remained limited Friday, but the Browns received the answer they wanted.
“I feel good heading into this game. Just a little sore,” Fannin said Friday.
Coach Todd Monken has committed to Sanders as Sunday’s starter. Deshaun Watson returned for limited practice Friday but remained in concussion protocol and is listed as questionable. Monken left open the possibility of Watson serving as the backup if cleared. Sanders is drawing on the lessons from his seven starts as a rookie.
“Last year, I was able to see what I needed to see, feel different things during the games and understand what I need to get better at,” Sanders said Wednesday. “So, then going into this offseason, we worked on that, and training camp, of course, in this offseason, and overall, I’m just excited for the opportunity.”
Shedeur Sanders and Harold Fannin Built Early Chemistry
Fannin became one of Sanders’ most reliable targets after the quarterback entered the lineup last season. Heading into Week 17, the rookies had connected 26 times for 304 yards and three touchdowns across Sanders’ first six appearances. Their biggest afternoon came against Tennessee, when Fannin caught eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown while Sanders threw for 364 yards.
Fannin finished his rookie season with 72 catches for 731 yards and six receiving touchdowns. He has continued to produce in Monken’s offense, leading Cleveland with 35 receptions and 411 receiving yards through eight games, along with three touchdowns.
He is also coming off the best receiving performance of his career: 10 catches for 154 yards in the 27-6 loss to Pittsburgh. Combined with his six-catch, 91-yard outing against Tennessee, Fannin has delivered 245 yards over the past two games.
Todd Monken Points to Shedeur Sanders’ Progress
Sanders has completed all three of his passes this season for 2 yards, leaving Sunday as his first extended opportunity to show the growth Monken has praised.
“He’s very diligent and he likes to play football, has a natural confidence about him,” Monken said. “Just like any young player, they’ve got to play. … where he’s improved is his footwork, his drops, his mechanics, understanding where to go with the ball, sense of urgency in terms of working through his progressions, protections. There were so many things he needed to work on, and he’s done that like any young player. Any young player has a lot to work on, especially at the quarterback position. And you can see that from the moment we got here and that’s why we opened up the competition and we split the reps was because of his ascent.”
Asked Friday whether he was fired up to see Sanders start, Monken didn’t hesitate.
“Who wouldn’t be?” he said. “Let’s go. Let’s see what we’ve got.”
Sanders and the Browns are 3.5-point underdogs on the road against New Orleans.
Shedeur Sanders Gets Good News Ahead of First Start