Shedeur Sanders was thrust into NFL action for the first time on Sunday, coming in during the Browns’ 23–16 loss to the Ravens after starter Dillon Gabriel exited due to a concussion.
Sanders played the entire second half of the game. He entered while the Browns led 16–10, but was unable to maintain or add to the team’s lead. Instead, Sanders struggled as he completed just 4/16 passes for 47 yards while taking two sacks and throwing an interception. He acknowledged he played far from his best, saying after the game, “I don't think I played good. Don't think I played good at all.”
Though it was a rough debut for the fifth-round pick out of Colorado, Sanders’s father, Deion Sanders, said he was proud of his son on Tuesday.
“I was happy for him just getting that opportunity because I know the fight behind the fight, if I can say that modestly,” Deion told reporters. “I know what’s been transpiring behind the curtains. I’m just proud of him, because he’s not just saying the right things, he’s doing and living the right things. That’s just who he is.”
Deion wasn’t surprised that Shedeur saw the field, saying he expected Shedeur would play against the Ravens, but because he thought Baltimore would play so well that it’d force a quarterback change. As Gabriel continues to deal with the concussion, Shedeur is expected to see his first NFL start on Sunday when the Browns take on the Raiders.
“He’s going through a lot right now,” Deion said of his son. “A lot of stuff is coming at him and he’s doing a great job. Thank God that God prepared him for everything he’s dealing with. I think a lesser man would have crumbled, he’s built for this and who else is built for adversity, like he is going into the NFL? I don’t think it’s too many quarterbacks that are built like that for the adverse situations and not having the best of things to happen around him.”
Deion added, “I applaud the young man, I’m just proud of him."
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