Week 11 of the NFL will be remembered as one of the most anticipated moments of the 2025 season, following the debut of Shedeur Sanders as an NFL quarterback. It’s worth noting that the former Colorado Buffaloes QB was selected in the fifth round of the Draft, despite being projected as a first-round pick by several analysts.
Shedeur Sanders began the preseason as the fourth option for the Cleveland Browns and slowly climbed the depth chart, taking advantage of the departures of Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. He is now the backup, and in this week’s game, Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. Sanders entered the field in the second half of the matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
Browns fans gave him an important and emotional welcome for his NFL debut. However, after completing his first two passes, things became complicated: he was intercepted, the team lost the lead, and the Browns recorded their eighth loss of the year. Naturally, the main target of criticism was Deion Sanders’ son.
Shedeur Sanders had not taken any first-team reps
After his first two completions, Sanders looked out of rhythm against the Ravens. He was sacked twice, intercepted once, and nearly threw another pick. He also struggled to find his receivers, completing just 4 of 16 passes. There’s a clear reason: Sanders had not taken a single rep with the first team.
One of his four completions went to Jerry Jeudy, the Browns’ WR1, and incredibly, it was Sanders’ first pass to Jeudy since the preseason. The quarterback explained: “I think it’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and just get comfortable, even throwing routes with Jerry (Jeudy) and all those guys. So I think that was my first ball to him all year.”
Since the preseason, several Browns insiders had mentioned that Shedeur Sanders hadn’t taken a single first-team rep, and this was evident in the second half against the Ravens. Kevin Stefanski’s time and focus were always placed on Dillon Gabriel, and now the consequences are showing.
For now, Shedeur Sanders has made his NFL debut, and if Dillon Gabriel does not clear the concussion protocol ahead of next Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sanders will make his first start-ironically against a team that passed on him in the first round of the Draft.
Read the full article here
