Shedeur Sanders may not be starting Sunday’s game for the Cleveland Browns after all.
Sanders made his NFL debut on Sunday as Dillon Gabriel was in concussion protocol. If Gabriel isn’t out of the protocol, Sanders would be in line to make his first NFL start on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, the Browns released their first unofficial depth chart of the week on Tuesday, and Gabriel is still listed as the starter, despite the rookie being in concussion protocol.
Gabriel being listed as the starter is interesting, as if he can clear the protocol, he will resume his job as the Browns’ starting quarterback. So, perhaps Sanders starting on Sunday isn’t as cut-and-dry as originally thought.
Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, meanwhile, made it clear that Gabriel will start if he’s healthy.
“Yes,” Stefanski said on Sunday when asked if Gabriel will start on Sunday if he’s out of the protocol. “But he’s got to – that’s obviously a lot into that protocol. A lot goes into that. So, we’ll see.”
Gabriel has had mixed results this season as he’s 109-of-184 for 937 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Browns Keeping QB Options Open
With Gabriel in concussion protocol, the Browns are keeping their
“Yeah, we’ll work through that the next couple of days and this week, obviously,” Stefanksi said on Monday. “I’ll update you guys on Wednesday as we get into Vegas preparations.”
If Gabriel can’t go, it will be Sanders getting his first start. The rookie struggled in relief on Sunday, but Stefanski believes there is lots to build on if he does start on Sunday.
“Well, I think you learn from every single play, that you’re out there and there’s always lessons to be learned and obviously there’s always going to be good and there’s always going to be bad,” Stefanski said. “And that’s just part of playing and getting reps. And then part of learning is taking all those coaching points that come with those reps.”
Sanders went 4-of-16 for 47 yards and an interception in relief of Gabriel.
Sanders Felt He Played Poorly Against the Ravens
In his first NFL game, Sanders entered the game in the third quarter due to an injury to Gabriel.
Sanders struggled, as it was his first time playing with the first team. After the game, the rookie quarterback said he played poorly and wasn’t pleased with his performance.
“I don’t think I played good, I don’t think I played good at all,” Sanders said. “I think it’s a lot of things we need to look at, during the week and go and just get comfortable, even throwing routes with Jerry (Jeudy) and throwing routes with all those guys. So 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 then we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”
If Sanders is going to start on Sunday, he will get all the first-team reps in practice, which should help him.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Shedeur Sanders Gets Bad News on Potential First Browns Start appeared first on Heavy Sports.