After reaching collegiate fame, being the center of a notable draft-day slide, and competing for a starting quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns, Shedeur Sanders made his much-anticipated NFL debut in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens after starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. Starting against the Las Vegas Raiders the following week, he notched his first career win. And although Week 13’s game against the San Francisco 49ers resulted in a loss, Sanders brings new energy to a beleaguered Browns offense and excitement to fans who have long awaited a winning team.
Sanders, a 23-year-old four-star prospect coming out of high school, began his collegiate career at Jackson State, playing under Head Coach Deion Sanders, his father. As the starting quarterback his freshman season, he threw 3,231 passing yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions and was named Southwestern Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and earned Second-Team All-SWAC honors. His success continued through his sophomore year: He notched a 70.6 percent pass completion rate and threw 3,732 yards, 40 touchdowns, and six interceptions, and was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year.
He entered the transfer portal his junior year and transferred to the University of Colorado Boulder, following his father who was named head coach of the Buffaloes. Despite already catching media attention and sponsorship deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Beats by Dre at Jackson State, his fame only grew while playing for Colorado.
In his very first game, Sanders set a school record for single-game passing yards with 510. In 2024, his senior season, he commanded the Buffalos to a 9–4 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. He finished the final year of his collegiate career with 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, and an NCAA-leading 74 percent pass completion rate, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for being the top upperclassman quarterback. Upon his departure from Colorado, the team announced they would retire his jersey.
Entering the 2025 draft, Sanders was projected to be a first-round pick and was a contender to be the first quarterback drafted overall. As he went undrafted on day one, and then day two, fans and analysts struggled to understand why no team was picking him. Nearly every national media outlet in the country covered Sanders’ draft slide.
“[It’s] one of the steepest high profile draft slides in recent history,” The Athletic said.
Analysts and experts posit there was no one reason that Sanders was passed up so many times. Anonymous NFL executives told reporters that though he is a good quarterback, his traits didn’t “jump off the chart.”
Some think that teams didn’t want all the media scrutiny that comes with having such a popular quarterback or were afraid of his meddling father. Others cited that he didn’t perform well in interviews with teams or that he lacked the drive to compete for a starting position, as he never had to worry about his standing in college. In the end, the Cleveland Browns selected him on day three of the draft in the fifth round, 144th overall.
The seemingly endless stream of national headlines about Sanders and the draft drama didn’t cease for months. In fact, the media drama continued during training camp, as Sanders was competing with three other quarterbacks for the starting position: veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Gabriel. All four quarterbacks took reps in training camp and each was being assessed for readiness. The question of who would be the starting quarterback was top of mind for many fans, but particularly for national media outlets, who berated Browns coaches with questions about if and when Sanders would be ready. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski faced criticism for not giving Sanders any practice with the first-team offense: As training camp went on, it became clear that Sanders would be the emergency backup. In the end, Stefanski chose 40-year-old veteran Flacco to start, before switching it up in Week 5 after Flacco was traded, giving Gabriel a chance to prove himself.
As the season progressed, the Browns were not seeing very much success. Entering Week 11, they were 2–7 record, and fans were calling for Stefanski to make changes. After Gabriel suffered a concussion during Week 11’s game against the Ravens, Sanders finally got his chance. Sanders started the second half, and the Dog Pound erupted with cheers. The Browns went on to lose 23– 16.
The following week against the Raiders, Sanders made his first NFL start with Gabriel still in concussion protocol. Sanders went 11–20 with 209 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception resulting in a commanding 24–10 victory.
Though the Browns suffered a loss on Sunday against the 49ers, spirits remain high among fans, and analysts have been impressed with Sanders’ performance thus far.
“His numbers over the last two weeks haven’t jumped off the page,” Thomas Gorski wrote in Sports Illustrated. “But he’s consistently made the right reads and the right plays in the biggest moments.”
As Sanders gets more comfortable on the field and continues to make promising starts, the Browns’ coaching staff is facing pressure to name him as starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Despite pressure, however, Stefanski has yet to solidify his role, continuing his week-by-week approach. Sanders’ biggest challenge right now is trying to gain trust and comfortability with the rest of the offense. After not getting any practice time with the first-team offense during training camp earlier this year, he is working hard to establish chemistry and trust.
Despite the methodical and cautious approach of the coaching staff, Sanders’ debut represents more to the fans than just a new quarterback. Sanders brings to the Browns not only his arm and playmaking abilities, but also a level of national media attention and excitement that can rouse even the struggling Browns. Sanders will make his fourth official start this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, hoping to solidify his place as starting quarterback for the rest of the season and beyond — while invoking a newfound sense of excitement for ever-patient Browns fans.
