With the Cleveland Browns playing their first preseason game without Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel, it meant Shedeur Sanders would get his best opportunity yet. Despite seeing 143 players selected ahead of him, the fifth-round rookie passed the test with flying colors.

So, what’s next? Well, Flacco is already back at practice, Pickett is too, and Gabriel will be healthy enough to play in Cleveland’s Week 2 preseason matchup. Where does that leave Sanders?

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Sanders’ place on the depth chart may not change at all. However, if anything, Sanders greatly increased the likelihood of earning a playing opportunity later on in the regular season. Before Sanders’ standout performance, Sanders may not have been in line to get the call.

“For now, I feel pretty confident that one of the veterans, probably Joe Flacco, will start in Week 1. But what this does, I think, is create a better chance that the Browns would want to get a look at him later in the year, if the season doesn’t go the way they want it to.”

SI’s Albert Breer on Cleveland Browns’ Shedeur Sanders

Of course, the Browns hope they’re in a spot where they can compete for a chance to play in the postseason. Yet, if the season does turn awry, just as it did last year, now the Browns may feel more inclined to see what the young hotshot QB can do instead of bringing on a more experienced hand, such as Tyler Huntley, whom they recently re-signed after he spent parts of last season in Cleveland.

Sanders made a difference in his first game, passing for two touchdowns. He presumably won’t get quite as many reps in game two, but it’s what Sanders does with his snaps that will leave a lasting impact on his coaches and teammates. So far, so good, but this is just the beginning.