How much are Browns to blame for ‘rough’ Sanders debut?

NFL 2025 season: Week 12

A roar erupted around Huntington Bank Field just after the third quarter of Sunday’s Cleveland game.

Shedeur Sanders, arguably the most prominent draft pick in NFL history, was making his long-awaited NFL debut, according to Cleveland Browns fans.

Dillon Gabriel, a quarterback, was untrained when he was discovered to have a concussion at half-time and had not made a full recovery.

So Sanders received his first game of regular-season action when the Browns took their first possession of the second half.

The Baltimore Ravens rallied from 16-10 down to win 23-16, according to the rookie rookie’s self-proclaimed “rough.”

Sanders is well-known for being in the spotlight because his son’s head coach throughout his college career was Deion Sanders, who has won two Super Bowls.

Shedeur’s watch celebration was copied by players in the NFL, NBA, and WNBA in 2023, earning about $6.5 million (£4.9 million) through name, image, or likeness (NIL) deals in college.

His draft stock dropped as NFL evaluators began to assess him, despite being the initial favorite to be the first overall pick of the year.

His attitude and ability caused him to be concerned. One coach even described Sanders’ conversation with his team as “the worst formal interview I’ve ever had.”

He was still expected to be taken in the first round, though. The most dramatic draft decline in NFL history came to an end when Cleveland traded him for the 144th overall pick and he was not selected until the fifth.

According to ESPN’s Cleveland Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi, “He grew up with a really famous fan base and has a really devout fan base.”

He was one of the NFL’s biggest stars when he was selected, but he lacked the credentials to support it at this time. So regardless of what he does or says, there will be a lot of discussion and discussion, and he’ll just be a very polarizing player overall, for the better or worse.

It was also surprising that Cleveland had alleviated Sanders’ suffering. Gabriel was already being drafted, and Sanders was their fourth quarterback to sign during the off-season.

Sanders completed his first two passes, but he only managed four of his 47 yard attempts on the final two.

He had two sacks, one interception, and the worst quarterback rating on debut since Cleveland’s first-round pick Brandon Weeden in 2012.

Sanders did battle for first down, and he completed two passes on his sixth and final possession to put the Browns in the lead, but the drive came to an end with three straight errors.

Sanders, who is the fourth-choice quarterback, did not practice with the Browns’ first-team players during training camp, and he also didn’t play any snaps with them once he became the back-up.

He appeared to be a backup quarterback who hadn’t practiced with the starting offense, Oyefusi said.

“It wasn’t the debut that he or his supporters had hoped for,” he said. However, you must contextualize it. The Ravens’ offensive line has struggled all year, and he is playing a really good one.

When a quarterback calls their team-mates at the line of scrimmage when they want the ball to be snapped to begin the play, they yell the play’s snap cadence.

After the game, Cleveland’s guard Wyatt Teller acknowledged that the Browns’ offensive linemen had to learn Sanders’ cadence at half-time.

A 25% completion rate makes you feel bad about it, according to NFL analyst Phoebe Schecter, but I believe there is still much hope for this young man.

Although veteran back-ups may not perform any first-team reps, rookies frequently receive some to aid in their transition to the NFL.

However, Gabriel took all of Cleveland’s first-team reps after becoming their starter because he was also a rookie.

Oyefusi said, “The Browns have viewed Sanders as more of a developmental prospect.” They have faith in their strategy for him.

Since Kevin Stefanski changed the practices this summer, they have 14 rookie quarterbacks and two rookie quarterbacks this year. In order to get all the rookies reps, they divided the field into two.

They have had Sanders run a number of reps with young players throughout the season, so they still think he’s been doing a lot in other sessions and in new ways. However, he still needs to get to know those first-timers.

Sanders’ “rough day” continued when he learned that his home had been burglarized during his NFL debut, with property worth about $200, 000 (£153, 000) stolen.

However, he has since been getting ready for his first start, Sunday’s trip to the Las Vegas Raiders, who also has a 2-8 record.

He continued, “He’s a young man who just wants to play football.” In the video [above], you could hear him speaking clearly.

He’ll get a full week of practice, “while figuring out who will make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.”