Shedeur Sanders will make his first start for the Browns on Sunday when they take on the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made the announcement at the Browns facility on Wednesday while also revealing that Dillon Gabriel was still in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
“He is improving, but obviously we have to put a plan together for all of our players, all of our offense or defense or special teams plan of attack, and give our guys a chance,” he told reporters.
Sanders made his first Browns appearance last week when he came in during the second half of a 23-16 loss to the Ravens after Gabriel had to be sidelined with a concussion.
The 144th overall pick in this year’s draft completed just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception in his NFL debut.
He was also picked off once and sacked twice.
However, Stefanski told reporters on Wednesday that he had seen “significant growth” from Sanders since he arrived in Cleveland.
”You want to make sure that all the concepts are things that he feels confident in,” Stefanski said, per Yahoo Sports. “Having been around him over the months you get a good sense of the things that fit his eyes, so to speak. Definitely want to lean into those types of things.”
The start is a significant step for Sanders, who has been on a roller-coaster ride since his college career came to a close.
Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, watched his draft stock tumble in the months leading up to the draft, once bing considered a top-five pick.
Then after being picked by the Browns, it became clear that it would take some work to get a start with the team opening camp with Gabriel, a rookie, and vets Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.
Pickett was traded to the Raiders in August and Flacco was dealt to the Bengals, which moved Sanders up to the No. 2 QB on the Browns depth chart.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
