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Shedeur Sanders was officially named the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback for Sunday.
Sanders will make his first NFL start against the Las Vegas Raiders after entering Sunday’s game in place of Dillon Gabriel, who suffered a concussion. In what has been a short but whirlwind tenure in the NFL, Sanders could barely contain his excitement before Wednesday’s practice.
“It’s going to be exciting. I know a lot of you will be there. You can’t miss it. You can’t miss this moment. It’s definitely going to be exciting. We’ll go out with a purpose: mentally prepared, no distractions, nothing. I’ll be excited.”
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders throws down during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field. (Ken Blaze/Image Images)
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is doing everything he can to make sure the fifth-round pick is “comfortable” in his new role.
“You’re always trying to do that with all your players: make sure they’re comfortable. It’s no different with Shedeur. You want to make sure all the concepts are things that he feels confident in. Having been around him for months, you have a good idea of what fits his eyes, so to speak. So I definitely want to lean on those things, and he’s working very hard,” Stefanski told reporters Wednesday.
Last week was Sanders’ first game action since the preseason, which was also limited for the Colorado alum as he dealt with a shoulder injury. It didn’t go well. He completed just four of his 16 pass attempts, threw one interception and clearly looked a little uncomfortable.
“I’m my own biggest critic,” Sanders told reporters shortly after Stefanski spoke. “Will there be mistakes? Of course. But there won’t be that many. Just try to minimize them as much as possible.”
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on July 26, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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But Stefanski said Sanders has been taking as many notes as possible and sharing ideas with the rest of the quarterback room.
“It’s obvious that longer and more reps, period, is always better,” Stefanski said. “I think as quarterbacks, you sit in that room, you watch a lot of tape together. So, you watch the receivers, and sometimes you don’t get the reputation, but you see how those guys come out. So, that’s what you have to do as a backup. Shedeur does that, all of our guys do that. When you’re not getting that reputation, you’re just taking mental notes on how guys come out of breaks. And there’s a lot of dialogue around that, certainly with the quarterback.”
Sanders said he has gained “a lot” of knowledge during his film sessions with Stefanski and the coaching staff, but the best experience for him is being on the field.
“I’m more of a feeling person. That’s how I learn. That’s how I do everything,” he said. “I’m not going to just watch it, and it’s just going to happen. No, I have to be out there, feel it, move. There are so many details that go into feeling my best and playing my best. And I’m doing everything in my power, and the team is doing everything they can to help me prepare.”
When asked if Sanders has a chance to remain a starter with a strong performance against Las Vegas, Stefanski said he was “focused on this game.” Sanders echoed that.
“When you start moving too fast in life, sometimes you miss the little details of things, so I never want to overlook anything,” said Sanders, who was widely considered a top-five overall pick and then fell to the fifth round.
Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field on Nov. 16, 2025 in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
But Sanders, who will become the 42nd starting quarterback since the team returned to Cleveland in 1999, hopes — and predicts — that he is the future of a franchise desperately searching for an answer.
“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hopes. And I wouldn’t be doing myself or the organization any favors if I didn’t feel like I was the one,” Sanders said. “I did everything I needed, I’m doing everything I need, to prepare and be the best version of myself. Given the circumstances, everything has to accelerate, and that’s great. I like the pressure in life.
“I’m excited about everything. I feel like I’m the man. I know I’m the man. But, you know, you’ll have to see. The game has to talk.”
