The moment has finally come: Shedeur Sanders is going to get his first NFL start.
Everyone involved with Sanders and the Cleveland Browns will be hoping that Sanders’ first start shows an improvement on his NFL debut, which was, let’s say, uneven. Sanders did show flashes on his final drive, however, which fell a dropped pass short of tying the game.
But this time around, Sanders won’t be thrown into the fire with next-to-no warning. Dillon Gabriel got every single rep with the first-team last week, leading into that divisional matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
The fact that Sanders got zero time to build anything resembling chemistry with the starters was one reason for his struggles. Another was that head coach Kevin Stefanski and his staff didn’t prepare for the eventuality of a Gabriel injury by at least creating a Sanders-centric grouping of plays or anything of that nature.
Cleveland went in without a plan for all of their players. Stefanski says that’s not going to happen this week. Sanders was officially named the starter on Wednesday (though Sanders was likely told long before that) and will be getting all of the first-team reps in practice. Stefanski said the staff has to put together a “plan” for all of their players.
“Shedeur’s gonna start at quarterback," Stefanski told the media. “Dillon is still in the concussion protocol, he is improving. But obviously we’ve got to put a plan together for all of our players. All of our offense, our defense, our special teams. A plan of attack. And give our guys a chance to go execute and play fast.”
Shedeur Sanders will start Sunday vs the Raiders pic.twitter.com/FdBC5o6yPP
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) November 19, 2025
Lesson learned.
Last week, when Gabriel was concussed some time before half (when exactly it happened remains unclear), it pushed Sanders into the QB1 role without much warning. The team was up 16-10 at that point, but ended up losing 23-16 as Sanders went 4-for-16 for 47 yards and a pick while facing near constant pressure.
However, he did make some good throws and a nice first-down scramble during the final drive. His back shoulder fade to Gage Lauvardin in the end zone was a thing of beauty and should have been caught. That would have tied the game up and put a much different spin on the former Colorado star’s debut.
Big-time @Ravens defense prevents a Shedeur Sanders -> Gage Larvadain TD pic.twitter.com/ZViwUcX560
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 17, 2025
But perhaps it’s best that Sanders’ debut went poorly. Looking at those numbers—four punts, one turnover on downs, and one interception in six drives—the only way to go from here for the young Sanders scion is up.
Not to mention this week’s matchup comes against the Las Vegas Raiders, who many predicted would draft Sanders—several times over. A little added incentive for the youngster there.
The fact that Sanders gets a full week of reps to learn the mannerisms and unique ticks of each of his starting teammates will also make a difference.
And so will a game plan that focuses on Sanders’ strengths rather than Gabriel’s.