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Shedeur Sanders made his regular season debut for the Cleveland Browns during the team’s 23-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and it wasn’t the outing he would have expected in his first real NFL action.
Sanders was 4 of 16 for 47 yards, was sacked twice and threw an interception. The Ravens finally saw tight end Mark Andrews score a rushing touchdown in the 23-17 victory.
Sanders was critical of himself after the game, but former NFL quarterback Cam Newton said this game supported an opinion he had held for quite some time.
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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field on November 16, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I don’t think Kevin Stefanski wants Shedeur Sanders to succeed in Cleveland,” Newton said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “The reason is, don’t tell me what he said, don’t tell me what he’s saying. I’m going to stop acting, okay? Let’s stop acting.”
“The actions are, if I’m Shedeur, or if I’m a Shedeur Sanders fan, I wouldn’t want him to take the field because that’s constantly going to be the display we’re going to see. It doesn’t matter if it’s Deshaun Watson, it doesn’t matter if it’s Shedeur Sanders, it doesn’t matter if it’s Dillon Gabriel, it doesn’t matter if it’s Dan Orlovsky, it doesn’t matter if it’s Cam Newton. You need help in Cleveland when you have a quarterback who’s still making $46 million on your roster and he’s not healthy, it affects the talent around him.
The Browns are 2-8 this season and Sanders marks the third quarterback change since the regular season began. At first, journeyman Joe Flacco, 41, led Stefanski’s offense, but he was benched, prompting rookie Dillon Gabriel to take over.
BROWNS’ SHEDEUR SANDERS OFFERS HAPPY REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE IN HIS NFL DEBUT
After Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, Gabriel became a full-time starter with Sanders backing him up. It’s been a struggle for Gabriel, who completed 7 of 10 passes for 68 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions Sunday before Stefanski turned to Sanders after Gabriel suffered a concussion.
Newton believes Sanders is destined to fail, saying the Colorado product and son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders isn’t being given a fair chance to make his mark in Cleveland.
“But this is what really bothers me the most… because [Sanders] “He doesn’t get reps,” Newton said. “Around 2015, around when Cam Newton was the MVP, around when, hey, my backup for [the] Most of my career was probably the biggest blessing of my career: having a veteran in Derek Anderson. Ron Rivera still knew it: ‘We’re one play away from you not being available, boy.'”
Cam Newton attends the BET Awards Media House on June 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Robin L Marshall/Getty Images for BET)
Sanders was blunt in his postgame press conference as he discussed his performance in his first regular season action.
“I don’t think I played well,” Sanders said. I think there are a lot of things we need to look at during the week and get comfortable even throwing routes with Jerry. [Jeudy] and throwing routes with all those guys.
“I think that was my first dance for him all year,” she continued. “But other than that, I think overall, we just have to go next week and figure it out, so we’ll have a week to prepare for the things I like to do.”
For Newton, Sanders had not received any first-team reps in practice before this game. He began the season as the team’s third-string quarterback before becoming Gabriel’s backup after the Flacco trade.
Despite the poor outing, Sanders’ confidence does not waver as the Browns head into next week’s road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns walks off the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 at Huntington Bank Field on November 16, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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“I still have the same confidence. I’m still me,” he said. “I’m never going anywhere. You know, just going out there, seeing the daylight, that’s all I needed to see how they move there. Playing against a great defense. You’ve got Pro Bowl guys out there, so it’s exciting to see. Okay, is that what it is? Alright. Is that what it is? I’m excited about it. So, you know, I just have to take this and build on it.”
Stefanski has not named a starting quarterback for the matchup against the Raiders, although an announcement is expected later this week.
