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Shedeur Sanders was officially named the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback for Sunday.
Sanders will make his first NFL start against the Las Vegas Raiders after stepping into Sunday’s game for Dillon Gabriel, who suffered a concussion. In what has been a short yet whirlwind NFL tenure, Sanders could hardly contain his excitement before practice on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be exciting. I know a lot of you are all going to be there. You can’t miss it. You can’t miss this moment. It’s going to be exciting for sure. We’re going out there with a purpose — mentally ready, no distractions, nothing. I’ll be excited.”
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws downfield during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is doing everything he can to make sure the fifth-round pick is “comfortable” in his new role.
“You always try to do that with all your players — make sure they’re comfortable. It’s no different with Shedeur. You want to make sure all the concepts are things he feels confident in. After being around him over the months, you get a good sense of what fits his eyes, so to speak. So will definitely lean into those things, and he worked very hard to reporters Wednesday,” Stefanski.
Last week was Sanders’ first game since the preseason, which was also limited for the Colorado alum as he dealt with a shoulder injury. It didn’t go well. He completed just four of his 16 pass attempts, threw one interception and clearly looked a bit uncomfortable.
“I’m my own biggest critic,” Sanders told reporters shortly after Stefanski spoke. “Will there be mistakes? Of course. But there won’t be that many. You just try to minimize them as much as possible.”
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders during training camp at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on July 26, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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But Stefanski said Sanders has been taking as many notes as possible and bouncing ideas around with the rest of the quarterback room.
“Obviously, the more time and more repetitions, period, is always better,” Stefanski said. “I think as quarterbacks, they sit in that room and watch a lot of tape together. So you see the receivers and sometimes you don’t get the line, but you see how those guys come out. So that’s what you have to do as backups. Shedeur does that, all of our guys do that. When you don’t get that rep, you just make some mental notes to yourself about how many mental dialogues come out of yourself. around that, certainly with quarterbacks.”
Sanders said he has gained “a lot” of knowledge during his film sessions with Stefanski and the coaching staff, but the best experience for him is getting on the field.
“I’m more of a feeler type of person. That’s how I learn. That’s how I do everything,” he said. “I’m not just going to see it and it’s just going to happen. No — I have to be out there, feel it, move around. There are so many details that go into making me feel my best and play my best. And I’m doing everything in my power and the team is doing everything to help me get prepared.”
Asked if Sanders has a chance to remain the starter with a good showing against Las Vegas, Stefanski said he was “focused on this game.” Sanders echoed it.
“When you start moving too fast in life, sometimes you miss the little details of things, so I never want to overlook anything,” said Sanders, who was widely considered a top five overall pick and then fell to the fifth round.
Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field on Nov. 16, 2025, in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
But Sanders, who will be the 42nd starting quarterback since the team returned to Cleveland in 1999, hopes and predicts that he is the future of a franchise desperately searching for an answer.
“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hopes. And I would be doing myself and the organization a disservice if I didn’t feel like I was the guy,” Sanders said. “I did everything I had to – I do everything I have to – to prepare and be the best version of myself. With the circumstances everything has to be accelerated and that’s great. I like pressure in life.
“I’m just excited about everything. I feel like I’m the guy. I know I’m the guy. But you know, you’ll just have to see. The game will do the talking.”
