The Cleveland Browns turned to Shedeur Sanders to open the second half against the Baltimore Ravens, generating a massive roar from the home crowd.
Sanders entered the game on the Browns’ first drive of the second half. Starter Dillon Gabriel was not benched but was being evaluated for a concussion. The Browns announced shortly after that Gabriel had been ruled out.
Gabriel entered the game with a 1-4 record as the starter and ranking near the bottom of the league in every major passing category. The Browns’ offense has struggled as a whole this season, averaging just 16.2 points and 265.1 yards per game.
On his first drive, Sanders completed a pair of passes for 12 yards but also took a 13-yard sack that forced Cleveland to punt. He threw an interception on his next drive, missing badly.
Browns Didn’t Want to ‘Speculate’ About Shedeur Sanders
Prior to the game, the Browns were unwilling to discuss Sanders potentially taking over for Gabriel, who had struggled and was booed by the home crowd on Sunday. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski immediately backed Gabriel as the starter after the team’s Week 10 loss and declined to give any insight on when Sanders could see the field.
“I don’t think it’s fair to speculate,” Stefanski said this week. “We’re committed to getting better as an offense. Dillon is certainly committed to improving every which way he can. And all the while, all of our players, young players, are developing and working so hard behind the scenes to make sure that they’re getting better on a daily basis.”
Stefanski did offer some praise for Sanders later in the week while discussing his development.
“He’s doing a really nice job, including just now coming off the field with the red zone drill that we did,” Stefanski said. “So, continues to work very hard, doing a nice job in meetings, doing a good job.”
Sanders entered Sunday’s game with minimal experience alongside the starting offense. He hasn’t taken any first-team reps in practice, as the Browns have remained committed to giving Gabriel every opportunity to grow.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Was Waiting for Opportunity
After the Browns traded away Joe Flacco, Sanders was always one play away from seeing the field. There were some concerns about Sanders’ grasp of the offense and learning the terminology. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said it was like “learning English to learning Mandarin” in terms of Sanders transitioning to an NFL offense.
But Sanders has remained confident that he’d be ready if his number was called.
“I’m in a great mental space overall,” Sanders said in October, just before being named the backup. “I would say you tend to get a little bit more excited when you see a light at the end of the tunnel, for sure.
“You prepare the right way and be ready to know that you can be out there at any point and time. I’m overly confident in myself. When I first got here, I’m ready to play.”
If Gabriel is unable to go next week due to the concussion, Sanders would draw his first start against the Las Vegas Raiders. The other quarterback the Browns have available is Bailey Zappe, who is currently on the practice squad.
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