Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, creating an emotional moment for his Hall of Fame father.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders admitted in a behind-the-scenes video (21:00 mark) that he cried when he saw Shedeur enter the game for the first time.
“I was in tears. He called me screaming,” Sanders said, referring to his eldest son, Deion Jr. Coach Prime responded, “‘Man, I’m crying right now. Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone.'”
Shedeur Sanders was inserted into Sunday’s game in the third quarter after Browns starting quarterback and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion that ruled him out for the remainder of the contest. In his first taste of NFL action, Sanders was 4-of-16 for 47 yards and an interception while adding 16 rushing yards. Cleveland held a 16-10 lead when he entered the game, but went on to suffer a 23-16 loss against its AFC North rival.
After the game, Sanders admitted that he didn’t perform to the best of his abilities, though he added that he hasn’t had the time to develop chemistry with the first-team offense.
“I don’t think I played good,” he told reporters. “I don’t think I played good at all. I think it’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable. Throwing routes with Jerry [Jeudy], throwing routes with all those guys. I think that was my first ball to him all year. I just think overall we’ve got to go to next week and understand, so we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”
The Browns (2-8) could be without Gabriel when they meet the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) next Sunday, leaving Sanders to run the show. The 2025 fifth-round pick will certainly be hoping to put forth a better showing if he’s given the opportunity to showcase his skills in Week 12.
