Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders threw one touchdown and one interception in his first start.
Cleveland Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders threw one touchdown and one interception in his first start against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Colorado product went 11-of-20 passing for 209 yards.
Sanders became the 42nd quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999 and is the first Cleveland quarterback to win his first NFL start since Eric Zeier in 1995.
Multiple NFL execs spoke to Jeff Howe of The Athletic about Sanders after his first NFL start. Here's what they had to say:
"I would definitely play it out for a while and see what you have with him."
"He looked fine, like he's got a chance (to be a starter). He made a couple of nice plays and throws; he also had a few rookie mistakes."
"I'll give him credit. He's tough, just like he was in college."
"I like his confidence. It doesn't turn me off at all."
Sanders made several good throws against the Raiders, showing off his strong arm and accuracy. He is expected to start the rest of the season.
Dillon Gabriel isn't a starting QB in the NFL. He's too short and doesn't have a strong enough arm. Kevin Stefanski should have started Sanders over Gabriel a long time ago. Better late than never is what many Browns are likely saying now.
"I think you saw a lot of what Shedeur does well on the field today," Stefanski said. "I thought to make that [completion to Bond] off-schedule when we were out manned [in] the protection, get the ball down the field. So, there's a lot that he's doing well, and there's a lot that he's working on, which is what I appreciate about young guys that want to get better."
Stefanski announced on Monday that Sanders will start in the next game against the San Francisco 49ers. Let's see how Sanders does in his second start.
"Everybody starts at different places, and like I said, just because I didn't get the summer reps, just because I wasn't in the best situation for me to be prepared to go out there and execute from a summer standpoint, that's how life is," Sanders said. "Everybody's not in the best situation, but it's no excuse. You got to go out there and perform. There's no choice and no question.
"Nobody cares if this was one week of prep. Who cares? A lot of people want to see me fail, and it isn't going to happen."