Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce may have long since left their hometown for NFL stardom elsewhere, but their Cleveland roots still run deep.
As rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders prepares to make his first start for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Kelce brothers are among his most vocal supporters.
The brothers, who grew up in Cleveland Heights, have followed the Browns since childhood. Despite Jason‘s retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis‘ continued success with the Kansas City Chiefs, both remain loyal to the team they grew up watching. For them, seeing Sanders under center feels like the kind of excitement Browns fans have long been waiting for.
They made that clear earlier this season on their “New Heights” podcast, when Travis encouraged the team to give the young quarterback a real chance. “Give the people what they want,” he said. That moment now feels prophetic as Sanders steps into the spotlight this weekend.
While Travis has his own challenges ahead, he hasn’t hidden his enthusiasm for the Browns‘ new starter. This week, he even mimicked Sanders‘ trademark wrist-watch celebration before yelling, “Let’s f***ing go!” The outburst captured the excitement many in Cleveland share about the rookie’s debut.
From backup to starting role
The 23-year-old Sanders, a fifth-round pick out of his father Deion Sanders‘ Colorado Buffaloes program, didn’t expect his chance to come so soon. Last Sunday, he was thrust into action against the Baltimore Ravens when fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel left the game with a concussion just before halftime. Thrown into a difficult situation, Sanders completed only four of sixteen passes for 47 yards and an interception.
Even so, he has shown flashes of the poise and precision that made him one of college football’s most talked-about quarterbacks. In the preseason, he went 17-for-29 for 152 yards, recording two touchdowns and no interceptions-numbers that suggested real potential once he gained experience with the first-team offense.
Sanders took those valuable first-team practice reps on Wednesday, an important step toward gaining rhythm with his receivers and mastering the Browns‘ system.
Jason and Travis also addressed some of the criticism surrounding the young quarterback’s preparation. They pushed back on the idea that not practicing with the first-team unit last week should be held against him, pointing out that backup quarterbacks rarely get those opportunities until they’re thrust into the lineup.
“Backups never have first-team reps in practice,” they said, insisting that narrative “shouldn’t be used against the team.”
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