What Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders can (and can't) do in his first NFL start

Anthony Licciardi

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What Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders can (and can't) do in his first NFL start image

Late November games with between 2-8 teams aren't supposed to capture the nation's attention. But here we are, in Week 12, getting ready for Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders to make his first NFL start.

Fair or not, Sanders is at the center of the football world, and on Sunday, he'll be under the microscope like never before.

Hurt by a disaster of a debut in Week 11 and the league's weirdest dynamic of fans and critics, his performance against the Las Vegas Raiders will be the leading headline on Monday. There's only so much one can gain -- or lose -- from 60 minutes of action. That won't stop the commentary.

Before he takes the field as a starter, it's important to put Sanders' Sunday into proper context.

MORE: How Browns can help keep Shedeur Sanders from failing

What Shedeur Sanders can do in Week 12...

Beat the Raiders and look competent in the process.

It feels necessary to be transparent about my priors on Sanders.

Some have called for him to be released; others are exaggerating the impact of first-team reps (or lack thereof). I had a third-round grade on him and felt that his ceiling was a "win with" quarterback who could keep the train on the tracks. More likely, he'd become a viable backup, given his lack of physical tools and struggles under pressure.

If he plays to that projection, Cleveland should have a real chance to compete in Las Vegas. The Raiders struggled to start their engines against the NFC's worst defense. The Browns have the defensive potency to keep things close, and if Sanders avoids turnovers, there's little reason why they shouldn't win. They are field goal underdogs on the road for a reason.

Subsequently, avoiding disaster is a reasonable goal for Sanders, much like any rookie quarterback. He doesn't need to throw for 300 yards or put up 30 points to earn another start; looking like a below-average quarterback is a win in itself. He was touted as an accurate game manager coming out of Colorado. Making good on those expectations against a bad Raiders defense is a must.

Earn the starting job for the home stretch.

Cleveland clearly preferred Dillon Gabriel to Sanders. They drafted him first, gave him the priority in practice and started him after trading Joe Flacco. The Browns may turn back to him whenever he's healthy.

However, a strong performance from Sanders should be reason enough to get the starting nod for the rest of the season.

Cleveland's going nowhere fast, and for all of Gabriel's supposed steadiness, he's 1-5 as a starter, ranks 33rd of 35 qualified passers by EPA/Play and has thrown for 200 yards just once -- not exactly a high bar to clear.

There are different routes to doing so. Maybe he runs the offense better than Gabriel after a week of first-team reps. His out-of-structure flashes could give Cleveland some upside it lacked in recent weeks. Perhaps the team will rally around Sanders amid the criticism and make head coach Kevin Stefanski's decision for him.

If this offense has some juice in Sin City, the Browns should give Sanders the first crack at the San Francisco 49ers when they return home in Week 13.

MORE: Myles Garrett's comments show Shedeur Sanders could be franchise quarterback

Start the process for being next year's backup.

Likewise, this week is about proving he is a better option than his fellow-rookie predecessor. If Sanders is a superior option for the second half of the season, it makes sense that he'd get the priority of being next season's backup, too.

Gabriel was seemingly drafted for that role, a nod to his steady hand and lack of upside. Nobody was mistaking him for an NFL starter, but one could be sold on the idea of giving him starting experience in Year 1 to be a long-term backup.

While that remains the most likely option, Sanders has an opportunity to encroach on that territory. For his own sake, he must do enough not to get cut this offseason, even if he's sticking around as the QB3. Being a rosterable passer who isn't a franchise guy is still preferable to the sour taste from his 4-of-16 performance.

Given the circumstances and the low bar set against Baltimore, there's plenty of room for Sanders to improve and begin making his case for 2026.

What Sanders can't do in Week 12...

Stop the Browns from drafting a quarterback.

Sanders' first-round hype from the pre-draft process wasn't fair, both to him and his skill set. He never showed that he could elevate a team with his arm talent, win primarily with his legs, or beat defenses by processing and navigating the pocket like an elite quarterback.

He was accurate, and he avoided turnovers. Nearly everything else in his profile was left unfinished or underwhelming. Thus, Sanders would need to do more than just impress the Cleveland braintrust to be the 2026 Week 1 starter. He would have to break the mold of his physical projection, showcasing intangible growth capable of competing with the game's best.

That certainly didn't look like the case in Week 11.

First-round quarterbacks get second chances. Day 3 passers don't, especially when their actions, presence and hype force others to answer for them at press conferences. Cleveland is likely to take a quarterback in Round 1 regardless of whether Sanders throws for 25 or 250 yards on Sunday.

MORE: Browns insider believes wholesale changes are coming to Cleveland this offseason

Quiet the noise.

Simply put, Sanders' hype became a runaway train in the months before the 2025 NFL Draft, and the magnitude of his surprising fall created friction, defining the current discourse. Did he cost himself money with his pre-draft comments? Were teams scared of his father creating problems for the staff?

It's likely that an amalgamation of factors contributed to his tumble. The simplest explanation is that he wasn't an incredible prospect, teams don't pay for backup quarterbacks and a non-star with distractions is expendable.

By now, though, it's clear that everyone will have an opinion on his performance, how the Browns are handling him and whether there's some grand conspiracy to sideline him. Sanders can't quiet the noise because it's no longer within his control.

Say something that overshadows his performance.

We know Sanders can put himself in the spotlight, wherever he's placed on the depth chart. To an extent, that's a matter of confidence, a credit to him. And while he can't stop the talk shows and tweets, he can shape the narrative surrounding his Sunday.

The first order of business is playing well enough to win fans over. The second is not saying anything to make the Browns regret their decision. If people are talking about some controversy on Monday, it won't matter how well he played. It will just be more evidence that his talent isn't a strong enough dose to medicate the headaches he's creating.

Saying all the right things -- which he's done since earning the starting job -- goes a long way. He can't afford to fumble this opportunity, which means protecting himself off the field is as important as performing on it.