The echoes of Shedeur Sanders’ victory in his first NFL start are still being heard, and for good reason; it may have been one of the most anticipated moments for critics of Deion Sanders’ son. There was plenty of curiosity surrounding No. 12 of the Cleveland Browns. A week earlier he had made his debut and things didn’t go well, but now he had his first start and came away with the win.
Shedeur Sanders became the first quarterback since 1999 to win his debut start with the Cleveland Browns. Seventeen quarterbacks had come before him, and none were able to do it-including Baker Mayfield, who in all these years has been the team’s best quarterback after earning a playoff win in 2021, something the Browns hadn’t achieved since 1995.
It’s important to remember that for this start, Shedeur Sanders had only one week of practice with the first team-something he hadn’t had since the preseason began because he was the fourth option on the Browns’ depth chart. Joe Flacco and then Dillon Gabriel had to go down before his opportunity arrived, and he made the most of it, earning the starting job.
Shedeur Sanders is respected in the Cleveland Browns’ locker room
The Browns’ biggest star, Myles Garrett, was surprised when Shedeur Sanders connected on a 50-plus-yard bomb to Isaiah Bond, and after the game, he mentioned that not just any player can make that kind of throw. This shows that Shedeur has been a professional despite all the adversity he’s faced, and his teammates have noticed.
Another Browns defender, Maliek Collins, backed Shedeur Sanders: “The energy that comes with 12… he’s a funny dude. He’s a good guy to be around. He wants to be legendary with the way he prepares,” said Collins via Mary Kay Cabot.
Shedeur Sanders knew this could be his first and only chance to prove he can play in the NFL, so he understood that critics wouldn’t care that he had only one week of practice with the first team: “There’s no excuse, you gotta go out there and perform,” Sanders said during the postgame press conference. “There’s no choice, no question. Nobody cares. Nobody cares if it was just one week of prep. Who cares?”
Shedeur Sanders has taken the first step, and now the key is to keep himself as the Browns’ starting quarterback. For now, he has already been confirmed as the starter for next Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, which will be his first home start-and he will surely receive a warm welcome from the fans.
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