CHARLOTTE — After the first offense called it an early night, the Panthers got a chance to take a closer look at the rookie class, and several had nice starts in the preseason opener against the Browns.

The Browns left with a 30-10 win on a cool August night at Bank of America Stadium.

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan had two catches for 43 yards in his Bank of America Stadium preseason debut, including a 30-yard connection with Bryce Young on the drive that led to the early Panthers touchdown.

Outside linebacker Nic Scourton, their second-round pick, had two tackles for loss and a sack in the first half.

They also got a good night's work from undrafted rookie cornerback Corey Thornton, who was starting for Jaycee Horn after Horn was involved in a Wednesday morning traffic accident.

Thornton had a team-high three tackles in the first half, along with a tackle for a loss and a pass defensed. The TFL was a dramatic one, as he caught a hurdling Browns receiver Kaden Davis and slammed him to the ground like a pro wrestler.

Rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald hit a 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, as he continues to compete for that job with veteran Matthew Wright.

Shedeur Sanders debut went well

The Browns had to be impressed with the work of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who put three touchdown drives on the board.

The fifth-rounder led his team to the win in his debut, and that was a good start, but he had a solid night throwing the ball.

Sanders was 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns, for a passer rating of 106.8.

They mostly kept him safe in short-range passing stuff, but he was accurate and effective in those situations.

The Panthers were starting the game without a pair of key defensive pieces, as cornerback Jaycee Horn and defensive tackle Derrick Brown were among the inactives.

Mixed bag for Andy Dalton

Veteran backup quarterback Andy Dalton played into the third quarter after taking over in the first.

He finished the night 13-of-19 for 101 yards, but also threw an interception in the third quarter. But he was effective moving the ball around, and hit a few shots downfield.

Browns safety Nik Needham undercut the David Moore route for the pick.

Jack Plummer came in for the rest of the night and was 6-of-10 for 79 yards.

A number of mistakes on special teams

Fourth-round running back Trevor Etienne muffed a punt in the first quarter, in a spot they're looking for someone to claim.

Veteran special teamer Nick Scott actually ran into Etienne, knocking him off balance and into the ball.

The Browns recovered and scored a touchdown two plays later, with Browns starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders throwing his first preseason touchdown pass.

The Panthers are auditioning a number of players for return roles, among a lot of special teams turnover this offseason.

They also had multiple penalties on a kickoff coverage, and allowed a 30-yard punt return to start the second half, the kinds of mistakes they're not in a position to afford.