Shedeur Sanders had a rocky NFL debut with the Cleveland Browns, and his mother didn’t hesitate to call out the team for the limited practice reps he received leading up to the game.
Sanders entered the Week 11 matchup at halftime in relief of Dillon Gabriel, who exited with a concussion. The former Colorado standout completed just four passes for 47 yards and threw an interception in the 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
During the game, his mom, Pilar Sanders, voiced her support for her son on social media, while also taking a clear shot at the Browns for how he was prepared.
“Do your thang! Work with what you’ve got! … NFL DEBUT!” Pilar Sanders said on Instagram. “Never any first round reps. … This is wild to say the least.”
Browns Address Lack of Reps for Shedeur Sanders
The chatter around Sanders lack of reps in practice has been a talking point. But Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said the team has done its best trying to prepare two rookie quarterbacks every week.
“You’re always trying to get your starter ready to play and certainly, when your starter is a rookie, those are very valuable reps. When your starter, when your backup is a rookie also, you do everything in your power to get our quarterbacks as many reps as possible,” Stefanski said. “So that’s just part of how it goes. But the bottom line is we trust both of our players. We trust all of our players because of the work that they put in.”
Sanders has taken accountability for his poor debut. But he also referenced that he did not have much chemistry with the starting offense.
“I don’t think I played good,” Sanders said. “I don’t think I played good at all. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable with even throwing routes with [wide receiver] Jerry [Jeudy] and throwing routes with all those guys. I think that was my first ball to him all year. But other than that, I just think overall, we just got to go next week and understand, so that we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”
Former Browns Backup Defends Shedeur Sanders’ Lack of Reps
Many former players have weighed in on the debate over Sanders’ lack of work with the first-team offense in practice. That includes former Browns backup Luke McCown, who faced a similar situation to Sanders back in 2004. He said that what Cleveland is doing is typical and not some kind of slight to Sanders.
“Yes it stinks that that’s the situation (Sanders) came into. I’ve been there, LITERALLY, with the Browns, as a rookie, as a mid round pick. So have many other rookies.. you play, you learn and grow and get better.. or you don’t,” McCown wrote on X. “Absolutely reps help, Absolutely he’ll be better with a full week of prep. But those are the hands as backups we’re dealt, and in those moments and we have to make the most of them.”
Gabriel’s status for Sunday remains uncertain, potentially setting the stage for Sanders to make his first NFL start — this time with a full week of first-team reps as he prepares to face the Las Vegas Raiders.
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