Shedeur Sanders set to make 1st NFL start against Raiders on Sunday

Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL start against the Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday that Sanders will replace fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel as Cleveland’s starting quarterback.

Gabriel, a third-round draft pick, is in concussion protocol.

Sanders, a son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, is approaching the opportunity like he has a chance to become the Browns’ quarterback of the future. The fifth-round pick doesn’t know how else to go about things.

“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope, and I would be doing a disservice to myself and a disservice to the organization if I didn’t feel like I am the guy,” Sanders said. “I’m doing everything I need to do (and) trying to be the best version of myself. With the circumstances, everything got sped up, and that’s great. I like pressure in life.”

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Sanders, who played for his dad in college at Colorado, has ties to the Raiders and was linked to them during the draft process.

His father even expressed interest in coaching the team after it fired Antonio Pierce in January. The Raiders (2-8) ended up hiring Pete Carroll instead.

Shedeur Sanders is close to minority owner Tom Brady, who has served as a mentor over the years. Brady’s nutrition and wellness brand TB12 even signed Sanders to a name, image and likeness deal.

Sanders has also been friends with Raiders quarterback Geno Smith since he was in high school.

Despite all that, the Raiders passed on taking Sanders multiple times in the draft. The team made seven selections before Cleveland (2-8) took him with the No. 144 pick.

Smith, even though the two didn’t end up becoming teammates, is excited to see Sanders on the opposite sideline Sunday.

“I’m happy for my guy, man,” Smith said Wednesday. “(Sanders is) a guy who I’ve been talking to for a long time and just happy to see him getting a shot. But unfortunately, it’s against us, but happy to see him get a shot.”

Coming off a rough debut

Sanders, who finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, replaced an injured Gabriel in the second half of the Browns’ 23-16 loss to the Ravens last week in Cleveland.

The 23-year-old completed four of his 16 passes in his NFL debut for 47 yards and an interception. He was also sacked twice.

Stefanski said after the game that Sanders had not taken a snap with the first-team offense in practice. The lack of chemistry showed on the field. That will change this week, as Sanders will get the majority of first-team reps.

“You want to make sure that all the concepts are things that he feels confident in,” Stefanski said. “Obviously having been around him over the months, you get a good sense of the things that fit his eyes, so to speak. So definitely want to lean into those types of things and he’s working very hard.”

Sanders is eager to prove to everyone he can be Browns’ long-term quarterback.

“I’m just excited for everything,” Sanders said. “So I feel like I’m the guy. I know I’m the guy, but you just have to be able to see.”

Up next

Who: Raiders vs. Browns

When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday

Where: Allegiant Stadium

TV: CBS

Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3)

Line: Raiders -4; total 36