Shedeur Sanders will make first NFL start on Sunday

Despite once being the Cleveland Browns' fourth-string quarterback, Shedeur Sanders will get a chance on Sunday

Nov 19, 2025, 9:13 AM

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Despite once being the Cleveland Browns’ fourth-string quarterback, Shedeur Sanders will get a chance on Sunday. He is getting the starting nod against the Las Vegas Raiders, a team once interested in drafting him and run by his mentor, Tom Brady.

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders will start Sunday vs the Raiders.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 19, 2025

Sanders was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year last fall for an awesome season where he ranked in the top 10 nationally in completion percentage (74%), passing yards (4,134) and touchdowns (37) while breaking Colorado school records for passing touchdowns, passing yards, consecutive games with a touchdown pass, quarterback rating and completion percentage. He had a surprising fall in the NFL Draft, pushing him to the Browns as the team’s second rookie quarterback. The first and current starter, Dillon Gabriel, is out with a concussion. The team has traded both veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, while Deshaun Watson remains injured.

In relief of Gabriel this past weekend, Sanders really struggled. During the 23-16 loss, Sanders completed 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and threw an interception. He was also sacked twice. Though Browns coach Kevin Stefanski acknowledged those were his first reps with the first team in months.

Ultimately, Sanders looked like a fifth-round pick with a lot of raw potential who hadn’t gotten any meaningful reps with the guys he was playing around. He had the worst EPA per play (0.672) among quarterbacks that played at least 20 snaps last week, the worst success rate (28.6%) and the worst completion percentage over expected (-34.8%). The bottom line was that things weren’t pretty for the former CU Buffs signal caller.

But he has a chance at redemption and to leave a good taste in everyone’s mouths before the offseason. In fact, he’s doing it in front of a team, run by Brady, that may need a quarterback. Brady, through Deion Sanders, has deep ties to Shedeur. It’s hard to know if Shedeur will get another shot in the NFL, but he has this one on Sunday and when his back was up against the wall in college — he was legendary.