Shedeur Sanders will finally get his chance to deliver on his promise.
The polarizing Browns backup quarterback is expected to make his first NFL start Sunday against the Raiders after Dillon Gabriel left the team’s Week 11 loss to the Ravens with a concussion, according to Cleveland.com.
Sanders, the rookie fifth-rounder, made his NFL debut in the 23-16 home setback and had a rough showing.
Shedeur Sanders during the Week 11 loss to the Browns. AP
“We’ll work through that the next couple of days and this week,” Stefanski said of the team’s plans for the week with Gabriel still in the concussion protocol.
There has been plenty of speculation about whether the Browns would hand the reins to Sanders this season, especially in light of the offense’s struggles with Gabriel.
The Browns drafted Gabriel two rounds above Sanders and gave him the first opportunity after the team benched Joe Flacco and then traded him to the Bengals.
Gabriel has not impressed in limited opportunities, throwing for 937 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s tossed just two interceptions, but has posted a 30.9 QBR.
He completed 7 of 10 passes for 68 yards Sunday against Baltimore before suffering his concussion, which afforded Sanders his first regular-season opportunity.
Dillon Gabriel seems likely to miss Week 12. AP
The fans roared when Sanders entered.
“Yeah, I’m extremely thankful,” Sanders said. “Well, first let me say this: When Dillon’s out there playing, all that — I appreciate the fans I appreciate everybody, but it don’t really… I’m a good person overall, so I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable, confident, you know, when he gets out there. So, you know, it puts everything in a tough spot, and you know, it’s not helping the team.”
Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, completed just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards with one interception, wile also adding three rushes for 16 yards.
He moved the Browns into Ravens territory at the end of the game while trailing by seven points, but could not convert a fourth-and-5.
Kevin Stefanski during the Week 11 loss. AP
Stefanski caught some heat from some for not giving Sanders more first-team reps before the game, but he defended his approach Monday.
“We trust our guys, we trust our backup players to be ready to go,” Stefanski said with his team sitting at 2-8 and in last place in the AFC North. “And Shedeur’s ready to go. Obviously, I know he wants to play better, I want to coach better, all those types of things. That will come through work.”
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One of the decisions the Browns had to factor when deciding whether to bench Gabriel for Sanders was the possibility that once they made that switch, it would be hard to go back.
Now, with the injury, they can turn to Sanders and see what he can do without any questions. Stefanski said after the loss to the Ravens that Gabriel would return to the starting role when healthy.
Sanders said upon arriving in Cleveland that he hoped to finally be the team’s long-term answer at the sport’s premium position.
As Cleveland.com noted, he will be the team’s 42nd starter since 1999.
Sanders’ first start comes in a positive matchup against a ghastly Raiders defense that barely produced any resistance Monday against the Cowboys in a 33-16 home loss.
“I think you learn from every single play that’s out there and there is always lessons to be learned,” Stefanski said of Sanders. “There’s always going to be good and there’s always going to be bad.”
