The first NFL preseason weekend is in the books, and for two former Colorado Buffaloes stars, it came with very different kinds of early-August noise.
Shedeur Sanders got his first real crack in Cleveland’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, and the second-half run wasn’t clean. The Browns opened with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, then turned it over to Sanders after halftime. From there, the rookie’s night got bumpy in a hurry.
Sanders finished 6 of 11 for 79 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. The pick came on a deep throw down the right sideline that sailed high and ended up in the hands of Bears defensive back Beanie Bishop Jr.
Afterward, Sanders pointed to the throw itself and said he believed the decision was right, but the ball came off wrong.
“It was the right read, it just slipped. That’s what makes me be mad a little bit because of it,” Sanders said. “Turning the ball over and all that stuff is not great and it won’t survive a long time in the league doing that.”
Sanders’ path to this point has already been a winding one. He played at Colorado from 2023-2024, piling up 7,364 passing yards and 64 touchdowns while setting an FBS record with a 71.8 completion percentage.
Cleveland then took him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, he appeared in eight games and started seven, throwing for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Now he’s back in the middle of a quarterback fight heading into 2026. And if performances like the one against Chicago keep popping up, the Browns’ Week 1 decision could start to feel pretty straightforward.
Travis Hunter’s preseason debut didn’t come in the game itself, since he didn’t play in Jacksonville’s opener against the New Orleans Saints. But his week still had its share of flash points. During a joint practice earlier in the week, Hunter was beaten at cornerback for multiple touchdowns - one to Saints receiver Chris Olave and another to rookie wideout Bryce Lance.
It was a rough stretch on defense. On the other side of the ball, though, Hunter also showed the kind of playmaking that made him such a unique prospect in the first place.
“Go crazy, Trav ‼️”
That’s the clip the Jaguars pushed out as Hunter made a highlight play on offense.
Hunter is entering his second NFL season after playing only seven games as a rookie before season-ending knee surgery. In those seven appearances, he recorded 15 total tackles and three passes defended on defense, while catching 28 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown on offense.
Before Jacksonville made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter starred at Colorado from 2023-2024 and won the 2024 Heisman Trophy for his two-way impact.
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Todd Monken Sent A Clear Message At Browns Camp Monday
Training camp urgency showed up quickly Monday in Berea, where the Browns worked through another August practice with injury updates, special teams work and a few notable reps from players like Denzel Ward and Deshaun Watson. One drill in particular changed the tone of the day, as the team spent time on field goal block work while the competition level kept rising across the field.
The sharp edge carried into a run period when Adin Huntington delivered a hit on Quinshon Judkins, prompting Todd Monken to step in and reset the drill. The incident was enough to tighten the entire session, and it served as another reminder that camp is moving from evaluation mode toward the kind of physical, detail-driven football the Browns expect when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Revealed A Stadium Vision Fans Will Be Debating
Construction is now underway on the Browns new stadium project in Brook Park, and the scope alone makes it one of the biggest talking points in the franchises next chapter. The fully enclosed dome, set to cost between $2.4 billion and $2.6 billion, is scheduled to open for the 2029 NFL season and is being designed to hold 67,500 fans.
The vision goes well beyond a standard modern venue. The stadium is planned to sit in an 80-foot-deep hole, topped by a transparent folded-plate roof and a steeply sloped Dawg Pound section modeled after European soccer supporter stands, with a 50-foot video board looming above it. It is the kind of design that will excite some fans and leave others debating whether Cleveland is building a football cathedral or something far more unconventional. [Read more 🡒]