Shedeur Sanders will finally get his shot with the Cleveland Browns after being handed all first-team reps ahead of Sunday’s trip to Las Vegas.
The rookie steps in for Dillon Gabriel, who remains in concussion protocol. He now becomes the Browns’ 42nd starting quarterback since the franchise returned in 1999.
It marks a quick turnaround from his debut last weekend. Sanders was thrown into the second half against Baltimore and finished 4-of-16 for 47 yards with an interception during a 23-16 defeat. It was his first snap with the starters all season.
Sanders welcomes long-awaited first-team reps
Speaking this week, he admitted the step up felt overdue.
“I’m truly excited for that, knowing that I have a piece in the offense and a say-so, and how things fit my eye,” he said. “Seeing how they come in and out of routes, seeing the structure of the O-linemen, seeing a set, just having a feeling. I’m more of a feel type of person. That’s how I learn.”
The lack of practice reps has been a talking point all week. Sanders spent months working with the scout team while the Browns rolled with two rookies after trading Joe Flacco in October.
He was one snap away each week but never saw the field with the starting offense until Gabriel went down.
“I don’t think a lot of people understand how challenging that is from a rookie going into a game,” Sanders said. “I’m just coming out of college, so it’s a different feeling.”
Deion’s pride and outside scrutiny
His father, Deion, made sure people understood how much work had gone unseen.
“I know the fight behind the fight,” Deion said. “I know what’s been transpiring behind the curtains, and I’m just proud of him. Because he’s not just saying the right things, he’s doing and living the right things. That’s just who he is, he’s a Sanders.”
Analyst Brian Baldinger echoed the concerns around preparation. He reviewed Sanders’ final drives and highlighted timing issues that often appear when a quarterback has no work with the starters.
“Not to have a meaningful rep since August, I don’t know how any quarterback could feel comfortable or confident to be sharp,” Baldinger said.
Kevin Stefanski pushed back on the workload debate and insisted backups must prepare mentally even when coaches limit their reps. But he conceded that extra time “is always better”.
The Browns now get a full week to see if that helps. Sanders completed 71.8 percent of his passes across two seasons at Colorado, and he arrives with production that made him one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in his draft class.
Now he has the job outright, along with the scrutiny that comes with it, as Cleveland enters a key stretch of its season.
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