CLEVELAND, Ohio — Shedeur Sanders didn’t just win his first NFL start — he may have begun rewriting the Cleveland Browns’ future plans at quarterback.
The fifth-round rookie, who was passed on six times by Cleveland before they finally selected him 144th overall, showed exactly why he deserves to be the starter moving forward in the Browns’ victory over Las Vegas.
“He certainly made a case to keep going. And if he builds on what he did in the victory over the Raiders, then he’s going to earn another start. Because when you win a football game, obviously you have to start the next one,” Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot explained on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast.
What made Sanders’ performance particularly impressive wasn’t just the win, but how he achieved it. Unlike Dillon Gabriel, Sanders demonstrated superior poise in the pocket and a willingness to push the ball downfield — skills that could potentially alter Cleveland’s quarterback plans for years to come.
“If he does go out there and prove that he can be their quarterback in the future by hitting those explosive plays, by continuing to make the off-schedule plays, by standing in in the face of the rush to and calmly delivering the football and, above all, by scoring points and winning games, he absolutely can prove to them that they don’t need to spend one or both of their first round picks on a quarterback in 2026,” Cabot said.
Perhaps most impressive was Sanders’ pocket presence. While the Raiders aren’t an elite defense, they do feature star edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Yet Sanders consistently showed the ability to sense pressure while keeping his eyes downfield.
“I was actually pretty impressed with his ability to stand in in the face of someone about to just crush him and calmly deliver the ball,” Cabot noted. “And then I was impressed with his off-schedule plays with the quarterback movement. It was better than I expected.”
This natural feel for the game isn’t something that can be coached — it’s the X-factor that separates potential franchise quarterbacks from merely adequate starters. Sanders’ 74% completion percentage in college wasn’t just about short, safe throws; it reflected legitimate accuracy and touch that translated immediately to the NFL level.
“For right now, it’s Sanders time and it’s his chance to go out there and prove himself,” Cabot emphasized.
The rookie still has significant challenges ahead. More sophisticated defenses will study his tendencies and try to neutralize his strengths. The Browns have simplified some responsibilities — having center Ethan Pocic handle protection slides, for example — but Sanders has shown he can handle what’s been thrown at him so far.
With four of the next five games at home, including this weekend against San Francisco, Sanders has a golden opportunity to cement his position. The Browns’ defense has been playing at an elite level, which should take some pressure off the young quarterback.
For a player who declared he wanted to show the Browns “I’m who they’ve been looking for,” the early returns suggest he might be exactly that. While it’s premature to anoint him the franchise’s savior, Sanders has already forced the organization to reconsider its quarterback timeline.
As Cabot concludes: “It might sound crazy to think that he could be that, your fifth round pick could turn out to be that, but I would have to believe that there are some in the organization after that game yesterday that started to think, hmm, maybe, just maybe, we’re onto something here.”
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