Sanders rues ‘rough’ debut after Gabriel concussed

CLEVELAND — Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, coming on at the start of the second half after Dillon Gabriel sustained a concussion.

Sanders finished 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards with an interception, and he was sacked twice. He also had three carries for 16 yards as Cleveland, which led 16-10 at the half, fell, 23-16.

«I don’t think I played good,» Sanders said. «I don’t think I played good at all. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable with even throwing routes with [wide receiver] Jerry [Jeudy] and throwing routes with all those guys. I think that was my first ball to him all year. But other than that, I just think overall we just got to go next week and understand, so that we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.»

The Browns drove to the Baltimore 25-yard line in the closing minutes, but Sanders threw three straight incompletions, including a third-down pass to wide receiver Gage Larvadain in the end zone that was broken up by cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. Cleveland later turned over the ball on downs, allowing the Ravens to run out the clock.

«We trust all of our guys,» coach Kevin Stefanski said. «We trust our guys to perform. [Sanders is] no different. And playing a backup quarterback role, as we’ve talked about over the years, that’s tough to come in there. But we trust him. I know there’s things that he’s going to want to do better, but that’s why we work.»

Gabriel, who had started the previous five games, played the entire first half, completing 7 of 10 passes for 68 yards. The rookie also ran twice for 2 yards. He was officially ruled out because of the concussion later in the third quarter.

Stefanski said after the game that if Gabriel clears concussion protocol, he will start next Sunday’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas. If Gabriel is not cleared, Sanders will make his first NFL start. Bailey Zappe, who is signed to the practice squad, is the only other quarterback on the roster.

Stefanski would not say if Gabriel needed to log multiple practices this week in order to start against the Raiders.

The coach also did not have details on Gabriel’s concussion check and what prompted it, but said he was evaluated at halftime. Gabriel hit his head on the ground while being tackled on a run late in the first half. After defensive end Myles Garrett‘s fourth sack of the game forced a Ravens punt on the opening drive of the second half, Sanders led the offense onto the field as the crowd at Huntington Bank Field broke out into cheers.

During the first half, fans broke out «We Want Shedeur» chants and booed after multiple errant Gabriel passes.

Sanders completed his first two passes — one to wide receiver Cedric Tillman and one to tight end David Njoku — but was sacked on third down, forcing Cleveland to punt. On his second drive, Sanders was intercepted by cornerback Nate Wiggins, but the Browns got the ball back on the next play after rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger intercepted a pass from Lamar Jackson that ricocheted off an offensive lineman’s helmet.

«I think you’ve seen, it was just rough overall,» Sanders said. «It was a rough day overall, but the thing that I was excited about is just being able to get out there. This is the first time I got hit since my last game at Colorado. So, just having that feeling back is good, and I feel fulfilled overall when it comes to being out there, practicing, going in between the lines, seeing what it’s actually like. I know I’m made for it. I don’t think there was a doubt in my mind that that final drive, [we were] going to go down there and score. Things happened and we didn’t, but I was just excited because I knew what I was going to be able to do out there.»

According to Stefanski, the second half was Sanders’ first time playing with the starting offense since he fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. Sanders began his career as the No. 4 QB on Cleveland’s depth chart, and he spent training camp practicing with second- and third-stringers. Although Sanders was bumped to the backup role after the Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7, Stefanski said Sanders was not receiving first-team reps in practice as the team focused on Gabriel’s preparedness. Gabriel had received starting reps in practice as the backup before being promoted to the starter.

«You’re always trying to get your starter ready to play,» Stefanski said. «Certainly when your starter’s a rookie, those are very valuable reps. When your backup is a rookie also, you do everything in your power to get our quarterback as many reps as possible. Post-practice, after practice, extra meeting time.»

Sanders, who had been viewed by some as a likely first-round pick, notably fell in April’s draft, with Cleveland ultimately trading up to take him with the 144th overall selection. A son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, the rookie made his way to the backup role after the Browns traded veterans Flacco and Kenny Pickett, the latter of whom was dealt to the Raiders in late August.

«He spoke after the game and he wanted to pin it on himself and his performance, but we’re not going to allow him to do that,» Garrett said of Sanders. «It’s a team game, so we’re all in this together.»