The Browns are officially in the Shedeur Sanders era. The much-discussed fifth-round pick out of Colorado was pressed into duty this past Sunday when starter Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. On Wednesday, coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Gabriel was still recovering and would be out for Cleveland’s next game against the Raiders in Las Vegas—which means Sanders gets the starting nod for the first time in his young career.
It’s anybody’s guess how it will go. Sanders struggled mightily in relief of Gabriel against the Ravens. But he’ll enjoy a week to prepare for Vegas and will practice with the starters for the first time. On top of all that the Raiders are nearly as bad as the Browns record-wise and put up very little resistance against the Cowboys on Monday night.
No matter what happens Sunday and even after that, it will be a landmark moment for Sanders as his first NFL start. On Wednesday he met with reporters and discussed the emotions he’s feeling, as well as the responsibility he now bears on behalf of Cleveland and its fans.
“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope,” Sander said. “I would be doing a disservice to myself and a disservice to the organization if I didn’t feel like I am the guy. I did everything I need to, I’m doing everything I need to to prepare, to be the best version of myself as possible. With the circumstances everything got to be sped up and that’s great! I like pressure in life. I’m just excited for everything. I feel like I’m the guy, I know I’m the guy, but you just have to be able to see.”
#Browns Shedeur Sanders on the emotion of starting vs the #Raiders on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/d86fGhValL
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) November 19, 2025
It will definitely be something to watch. Sanders played well enough to be in Heisman consideration when he was at Colorado and as a senior threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. But the flaws in his game were apparent and problematic enough for NFL teams that he fell all the way to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft despite most mock drafts slotting him high in the first round. The start to his career in Cleveland has not left much room for Sanders to prove anyone right or wrong.
Sunday will be his first opportunity to really show what he’s got at an NFL level. There will be plenty of eyes tuning in to see how Sanders does.
Shedeur Sanders gives thoughts on practicing with the starters
The young quarterback also touched on getting first-team reps in practice, which was a significant talking point after last week’s loss. Stefanski shared that Sanders played with the starting unit for the first time when he entered the Baltimore game last week. Fans and analysts alike openly wondered why Sanders would get no practice reps with the first-stringers given Cleveland’s perennially shaky QB situation, but as far as the rookie goes he was just excited to be out there.
“I’m truly excited for that,” he said. "Knowing that I have a piece of [the] offense and a say-so and how things fit my eye. Place the players exactly where they need to be, seeing how they come in and out of routes, seeing the structure of the o-linemen, seeing their sets. Just having a feeling. I’m more of a feel type of person. That’s how I learn, that’s how I do everything... I got to be out there feeling it. I got to move around. It’s like, so many details that it takes for me to feel my best and play my best. I’m doing everything in my power and the team is doing everything to help me get prepared."
.@ShedeurSanders is getting all the first team reps this week as he prepares to run the offense pic.twitter.com/qklnOPpgq4
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 19, 2025
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shedeur Sanders Discusses How He Feels About Making First NFL Start for Browns.
