Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his official NFL debut and it was one to forget to say the least.
After 2 minutes ofthe 3rd quarter of their clash at the Ravens, Dillion Gabriel went out of the close battle with a concussion and a roar filled the stadium as the crowd noticed rookie quarterback Sanders making his way onto the field.
The 23-year-old said himself that what followed was “rough”, as the Baltimore Ravens fought back from 16-10 down to win 23-16.
Sanders had 16 attempts and only completed 4 of them with 47 total passing yards. He was sacked twice, threw one interception and his rating was 13.5 which was the worst debut since Brandon Weeden, a first round pick by Cleveland in 2012.
Critics have said it was the “worst debut ever”, and had the Browns set him up to fail without realising?
How has the Browns’ set Sanders up to fail?
Although veteran back-ups might not take any first-team reps, rookies tend to be given some to help them make the transition to the NFL.
Gabriel also being a rookie, he took all Cleveland’s first-team reps after becoming their starter.
“The Browns have viewed Sanders as more of a developmental prospect,” said ESPN journalist Oyefusi.
“They have 14 rookies this year and two rookie quarterbacks, so Kevin Stefanski altered the practices this summer. They divided the field into two, so all the rookies could get reps.
“They’ve had Sanders run a bunch of reps with developmental players, so even though he might not have been getting the reps with the starting unit, they do believe he’s been getting a lot in other sessions and alternative ways.
Sanders’ NFL Journey so far
In college Shedeur earned $6.5m through his name, image or likeness (NIL) deals, his watch celebration was copied by players in the NFL, NBA and WNBA in 2023.
He was the favourite to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but as evaluators assessed him, his draft stock dropped.
Concerns were made after his first couple of interviews where one coach even said his team’s chat with Sanders was “the worst formal interview I’ve ever been in”.
Fans still saw him as the favourite to be selected 1st overall, he was not taken until the fifth round – Cleveland traded up to take him with the 144th overall pick – it ended the most dramatic draft slide in NFL history.
Sanders was fourth on the Browns’ depth chart but impressed in their first pre-season game, then they began the campaign with Shedeur as their third-choice quarterback, and became the back-up to Gabriel when veteran Joe Flacco was traded on October 7.
Shedeurs’ “rough day” continued when he found out his home had been burgled during his NFL debut, with approximately $200,000 in property stolen.
Sanders has since been preparing for his first start, Brown’s face Las Vegas Raiders who also have a 2-8 record.
