Shedeur Sanders’ first preseason outing of the year with the Cleveland Browns produced a mix of encouraging moments and one mistake that stood out immediately. The rookie quarterback made the right read on his interception against the Chicago Bears, but failed to finish the throw cleanly.
This miss has now prompted a former NFL quarterback to examine what may have gone wrong.
Kurt Benkert Spots Potential Grip Problem in Shedeur Sanders’ Throw
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert believes Sanders’ interception may have exposed a small mechanical issue with his grip. His assessment focuses on the quarterback’s index-finger placement and how it affects the football during the release.
Sanders entered the Browns’ 34-10 loss to the Bears in the third quarter. He completed six of 11 passes for 79 yards, but his 11th attempt turned into an interception.
Sanders spotted wide receiver Malachi Corley over the middle, only for the pass to sail over the receiver and fall into the hands of Bears cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr.
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Sanders later said he made the correct read but failed to execute the throw.
“What’d I see? The right read, just slipped,” he said. “It was the right read, it just slipped. That’s what makes me mad a little bit. But any decision I make, I know is the right decision, I just didn’t execute… Obviously, turning the ball over and all that stuff is not great, and you won’t survive a long time in the league doing that.”
#Browns QB Shedeur Sanders on the interception today:
“What’d I see? The right read; it just slipped…that’s what makes me be mad a little bit because of it…I just didn’t execute the decision, but the right decision was made.” pic.twitter.com/VZQDgOnOqn
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) August 15, 2026
However, Benkert’s analysis suggests the problem may have started before the ball even left Sanders’ hand.
“I figured out why Shedeur throws wobblers and why that ball slipped out of his hands on his INT across the middle the other day,” Benkert wrote on X. “He doesn’t hold the ball right, and it’s a simple fix.”
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Benkert specifically pointed to Sanders’ index finger resting too close to the tip of the football. In his view, that grip prevents Sanders from wrapping his hand around the ball properly and generating consistent rotation. He said that the positioning “doesn’t allow him to wrap and rotate the ball.”
This could explain why some of Sanders’ throws appear to lose their shape in flight. Benkert described the release as resembling a javelin throw rather than a clean quarterback motion.
“He ends up throwing it more like a javelin than ripping / spinning the ball,” Benkert said. “It’s why it wobbles often.”
I figured out why Shedeur throws wobblers and why that ball slipped out of his hands on his INT across the middle the other day.
He doesn’t hold the ball right, and it’s a simple fix.
People hold the laces differently but his pointer finger on the tip of the ball doesn’t allow… pic.twitter.com/wgDfCs5XgG
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) August 16, 2026
The former quarterback believes Sanders could address the issue without making a major overhaul to his throwing motion. Benkert suggested moving the index finger down by roughly 1 lace, which could improve Sanders’ grip and release angle.
“I believe if he slid his pointer down to wrap the ball it would slightly cock the ball more to 90 degrees on his release and give him more RPMs and grip,” Benkert wrote.
The timing makes the observation especially relevant for a quarterback who ranked as second-worst in the league last season on PFN’s QB Impact Metric.
Sanders is battling Deshaun Watson for the Browns’ starting quarterback job for the 2026 season, and Watson posted the stronger numbers against Chicago.
Watson completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards without an interception, while Sanders finished with a 39.6 passer rating. Still, Sanders gets another chance to make his case when Cleveland hosts the Buffalo Bills on August 22.
