All 32 NFL teams across the league are in the middle of figuring out which players will make their 53-man roster. As the news of roster cuts come flying in, a handful of former South Carolina Gamecocks held their breaths as the last week of the preseason wrapped up.
One of those was second-year Cleveland Browns running back and former Gamecocks Raheim "Rocket" Sanders. He went undrafted in last year's NFL Draft, and spent this offseason fighting for a roster spot. Last season, he played in four games for the Browns, getting 92 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown.
He was competing for the No. 3 running back spot alongside Ahmani Marshall, Davon Booth and TJ Harden. The Browns have established starters in fellow second-year back Quinshon Judkins and backup Dylan Sampson.
Sanders finally learned his fate, as the Browns announced that Sanders made the 53-man roster, slotted as expected in the No. 3 slot:
Our initial 53-man roster is set!
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 30, 2026
📰: https://t.co/6vlFfnOzlp | #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/c2sjQQln7A
That's great news for the second-year back Sanders, who struggled in the Browns' first preseason game against the Chicago Bears. During the 34-10 loss, Sanders had just nine yards on two carries, and Cleveland finished with just 108 rushing yards on the night.
Browns first-year head coach Todd expressed his frustration about his offense's running game afterwards.
“We certainly didn’t run it very well," Monken said after the game. "Guys, you’re not going to score a lot if you can’t run the football. I mean, you can’t control the game. I mean we kept ourselves in long-yardage situations and that’s going to be very difficult. I give the quarterbacks a lot of credit for what we put them through, in terms of the down and distances we had.”
But Sanders got the unit going during Cleveland's second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Sanders led the Browns' running attack, getting 31 yards on 12 carries. He added 29 rush yards during Cleveland's last game against New England.
Now that Sanders knows his fate in Cleveland, he can settle in and focus on contributing for the Browns this season. Cleveland opens the 2026 season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.
Sanders went undrafted in last year's NFL Draft, signing with the Los Angeles Chargers before getting released as part of L.A.'s final cuts. He spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Arkansas before transferring to South Carolina for the 2024 season. With the Gamecocks, he had 881 rush yards with 11 touchdowns, including another 27 receptions for 316 yards and two scores.
We'll see if Coach Monken has some more involvement for Sanders as he looks to establish a strong run game in Cleveland this season.
ALSO READ: New Orleans QB Spencer Rattler gets much-needed clarity on his Saints future
Add us as a preferred source on Google