Shedeur Sanders
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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
When the Cleveland Browns face the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, the game will be perhaps the most eagerly anticipated matchup of 2-8 teams in recent NFL history. Though the game is set to be broadcast by CBS only to the relatively small Las Vegas and Cleveland local media markets in the 4:25 p.m. ET slot, there seems no doubt that even on an afternoon dominated by the high-stakes clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts, the Browns-Raiders game will draw an extraordinary amount of media and fan attention.
The reason? There is only one — the game is set to mark the NFL starting debut of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who has created such a flamboyant persona for himself that he has remained at the center of NFL drama since draft day when he unexpectedly fell to the fifth round, after pre-draft projections had him going as high as a Day 1 top-three selection.
At one point, Sanders was even linked to the Raiders as a second-day draft pick, but that prediction obviously never materialized.
Smith Puts Sanders on Notice
This week, after waiting the entire season behind first veteran Joe Flacco and then fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, Sanders will get his debut as a starting quarterback in the NFL, where his father, Deion Sanders, became a Hall of Famer as a cornerback.
Ahead of the big moment, some Raiders players made sure that Sanders knew that he would not have an easy day at Allegiant Stadium.
“I’m happy for my guy, you know?” Raiders 34-year-old starting quarterback Geno Smith told reporters on Wednesday, as quoted by the Akron Beacon-Journal. “S2’s 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.”
Jeanty Also Issues Warning
Running back Ashton Jeanty, taken by Las Vegas with the No. 6 pick in the first round, also has words for Sanders.
“Excited for him, should be a great opportunity for him,” Jeanty said, as quoted by the Beacon-Journal. “But I know my defense is going to come ready to attack him. So, he better be ready.”
Smith — himself once a projected first-round pick who ended up falling to the New York Jets in the 2013 second round — also offered some advice to Sanders.
“As far as Shedeur goes, he’s living his life, and he can only speak for that,” Smith told reporters. “But my advice always to him is to go out there and be yourself and play your game.”
Rocky Debut for Sanders as Gabriel Fill-In
Sanders actually made his NFL debut last week, when he was thrown in as a sub for Gabriel, who left the Browns’ game against the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion.
It didn’t go quite as planned. Sanders completed only four of 16 passes for 47 yards, with an interception. But the 23-year-old out of Colorado, where he was coached by his father, remained optimistic heading into his debut against the Raiders.
“I’m doing everything I need to prepare to be the best version of myself as possible. With the circumstances, everything has got to be sped up, and that’s great,” Sanders said Wednesday, as quoted by Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com. “I like pressure in life. I’m just excited for everything. So, I feel like I’m the guy. I know I’m the guy. But you just have to be able to see.”