TL;DR
- Cleveland Browns rookie Shadeur Sanders will start at quarterback Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
- Sanders takes over after Dillon Gabriel entered concussion protocol following a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
- Deion Sanders expressed pride in his son's resilience amidst challenging circumstances this season.
- Deion believes Shadeur is uniquely prepared for NFL adversity and difficult situations.
The Cleveland Browns have announced announced that rookie fifth-round selection Shadeur Sanders is slated to start at quarterback this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Both squads arrive at the matchup with identical 2-8 records.
Sanders was called upon to play after starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel entered concussion protocol during the Browns' 23-16 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Sanders had a difficult outing, completing only four of six passes for 47 yards and throwing one interception.
When informed that Shadeur had been selected as this week's primary player, his father, NFL Hall of Famer and current Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, shared his perspective on his son's performance this season.
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"I think a lesser man would have crumbled," Deion said at his weekly news conference at the University of Colorado. “I thought the Ravens would have played better early on to provoke him getting in. I didn't want him to get in by the injury, because I'm fond of Dillon, and I want him to be successful as well. But I didn’t want that to happen.”
Deion Sanders talks about Shadeur's peculiar circumstances
The Buffaloes' coach then alluded to forces that may have been working against his son, but he didn't dive any deeper into the topic.
I'm aware of what's been happening behind the scenes, and I'm truly proud of him. He's not only speaking the right words but also acting and living them out. That's simply his nature.
“Thank God that God prepared him for everything he's dealing with,” Deion concluded. “...He's been built for this, and who else is built for the adversity like he is? Like, going into the NFL? I don't think it's too many quarterbacks that have been built like that for the adverse situations and not having the best of things to happen around him.