Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders earned some recognition from the NFL for his play during the team’s Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Sanders was named the NFL Rookie of the Week, the league announced on Thursday. The Browns’ rookie beat out Broncos running back RJ Harvey, Saints running back Devin Neal, Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori, Titans safety Kevin Winston, and fellow rookie teammate Harold Fannin.
It was just Sanders’ third start of the season, but his best performance by far. Sanders turned in the most productive outing of his young career, completing 23 of 42 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns while also leading the team with 29 rushing yards and punching in a score on the ground. It marked his first time surpassing the 300-yard mark in the NFL and his first career rushing touchdown.
His 364 passing yards tied for the third-most by a Browns rookie in a single game, and his three touchdown passes tied for the second-most. Sanders also became the first player in franchise history to record at least 300 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in the same game, per the team’s website.
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Earned Starting Security
Following the game, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski committed to Sanders as the starter for the final four contests, a notable shift from his earlier week-to-week approach to the position.
“I’ve been really impressed by his work ethic. And that’s going back to since the moment he got here,” Stefanski said. “He’s still very early into his career, and he would tell you the same. You want to have constant improvement in everything you’re doing. There’s moments in these games that come up that are hard to replicate in practice. You can talk through them on tape, you can talk through them in a walk through, and then you get the rep in a game, and that’s the most valuable learning tool you can have. And I think he will only take all of that and use that to his development moving forward.”
Dillon Gabriel, a third-round rookie who started games this season, will remain the backup. Gabriel lost the starting spot after suffering a concussion in Week 11. Bailey Zappe is on the practice squad and veteran Deshaun Watson recently returned to practice but has not been activated to the 53-man roster.
Shedeur Sanders Auditioning for Long-Term Role
For Sanders, the remainder of this season serves as a crucial audition. The Browns hold two first-round picks in the upcoming draft and will spend the next month evaluating whether the rookie can solidify himself as their long-term solution under center. His development over these final games could influence everything from how the Browns attack the quarterback class to how they allocate resources elsewhere on the roster.
Sanders is not focused on that, but instead on the opponent ahead of the Browns, which is the Chicago Bears.
“That’s a long, deep thought. That’s not in my focus. My focus right now is the team we’re playing ahead, the Bears,” Sanders said. “Anything past that I’m not really focused on, honestly. I’m thankful for it, but I’m not content with my situation, with everything. And we’re leading this team.”
The Browns will wrap up the season with matchups against the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.
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