How much are Browns to blame for 'rough' Sanders debut?
NFL 2025 season: Week 12
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Two minutes into the third quarter of Sunday's game in Cleveland, a roar went up around Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland Browns fans noticed that Shedeur Sanders, arguably the most high-profile draft prospect in NFL history, was stepping on to the field for his long-awaited NFL debut.
Unbeknown to them, quarterback Dillon Gabriel was discovered to have a concussion during half-time and had not returned to the sideline.
So when the Browns had their first possession of the second half, it gave Sanders his first action in a regular-season game.
The 23-year-old rookie said himself that what followed was "rough", as the Baltimore Ravens fought back from 16-10 down to win 23-16.
Sanders' harshest critics have said it was the "worst debut ever", but was it really that bad? And had the Browns unintentionally set him up to fail?
Sanders' NFL journey so far
Sanders is used to being in the spotlight as his father is two-time Super Bowl winner Deion Sanders, who was also his son's head coach throughout his college career.
Shedeur earned about $6.5m (£4.9m) through name, image or likeness (NIL) deals in college, and his watch celebration was copied by players in the NFL, NBA and WNBA in 2023.
He was the initial favourite to be the first overall pick in this year's draft, but as NFL evaluators began to assess him, his draft stock fell.
Concerns were raised over his ability and attitude. One coach even said his team's chat with Sanders was "the worst formal interview I've ever been in".
Even so, he was still expected to be taken in the first round. When he was not selected till the fifth - Cleveland trading up to take him with the 144th overall pick - it ended the most dramatic draft slide in NFL history.
"He grew up with a celebrity upbringing and has a really devout fanbase," said ESPN's Cleveland Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi.
"He was one of the biggest stars in the NFL as soon as he was drafted, but he didn't have the credentials to back it up to this point. So regardless of what he does, what he says, there's going to be a lot of attention, a lot of discussion, and he's just overall a very polarising player, for better or worse."
It was also surprising that it was Cleveland that put Sanders out of his misery. They had already drafted Gabriel and Sanders was the fourth quarterback they signed in the off-season.
Sanders was fourth on the Browns' depth chart but impressed in their first pre-season game, then began the campaign as their third-choice quarterback, and became back-up to Gabriel when veteran Joe Flacco was traded on 7 October.
How did Sanders' NFL debut go?
Sanders completed his first two passes but finished with four completions from 16 attempts for 47 yards.
He was sacked twice, threw one interception and his quarterback rating of 13.5 was the worst on debut since Brandon Weeden, a first-round pick by Cleveland in 2012.
Sanders did scramble for a first down and on his sixth and final possession, he made two passes to help get the Browns in position to win the game, but the drive ended with three straight incompletions.
As the fourth-choice quarterback, Sanders did not practice with the Browns' first-teamers during training camp, and he didn't have any snaps with them after becoming the back-up either.
"I mean, he looked like a back-up rookie quarterback that hadn't taken any reps with the starting offence," said Oyefusi.
"It wasn't the debut that he or his fans had hoped for. But you have to contextualise it. He's playing a really good Ravens defence, and the Browns' offensive line has struggled all year."
A quarterback's snap cadence is what they shout at the line of scrimmage, which tells their team-mates when they want the ball to be snapped to start the play.
Cleveland guard Wyatt Teller admitted after Sunday's game that the Browns' offensive linemen had to learn Sanders' cadence at half-time.
NFL analyst Phoebe Schecter added: "A 25% completion rate makes you feel bad about it, but I think there's a lot of hope for this young man.
"He hasn't had the opportunities to mesh or gel, so you can't put it all on him. I would actually point towards head coach Kevin Stefanski, who's been in charge of the reps and what his rookie experience has been like."
Have the Browns handled Sanders properly?
Although veteran back-ups might not take any first-team reps, rookies tend to be given some to help them make the transition to the NFL.
But with Gabriel also being a rookie, he took all Cleveland's first-team reps after becoming their starter.
"The Browns have viewed Sanders as more of a developmental prospect," said Oyefusi. "They are confident in their plan for him.
"They have 14 rookies this year and two rookie quarterbacks, so Kevin Stefanski altered the practices this summer. They divided the field into two, so all the rookies could get reps.
"Even during the season, they've had Sanders run a bunch of reps with developmental players, so even though he might not have been getting the reps with the starting unit, they do believe he's been getting a lot in other sessions and alternative ways. But he still needs to get on the same page as those starting guys."
Sanders' "rough day" continued when he discovered his home had been burgled during his NFL debut, with approximately $200,000 (£153,000) in property being stolen.
But he has since been preparing for his first start, Sunday's trip to a Las Vegas Raiders team which also has a 2-8 record.
"He's a young man who just wants to play football," Schecter added. "You could sense that in his voice in the video [above].
"He'll get a full week of practice - throwing to the 'ones', working out who's going to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
"This is going to really help him and start to build his confidence. The Browns have a great defence so they have every opportunity to be successful this weekend."