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In earning his first win as a starting NFL quarterback, Shedeur Sanders showed flashes of play-making ability that warranted some draft analysts pegging him as a first-round prospect.
However, Sanders also struggled to fully execute a simplified version of Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense. That’s understandable, considering he only received his first reps with the starters last week in the buildup to his team’s road win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now that he’s received his second start against the visiting San Francisco 49ers – even with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel cleared from concussion protocol – Sanders can see if he can build on how he performed against the Raiders.
The Colorado product must prove each week he’s the guy for the job, and that starts with becoming more comfortable and confident in running the offense.
“It’s about belief,” Sanders told reporters this week. “The reason I’m so confident and the way I am is because the guys around (me) believe. And that’s what is most important, within having a team, within having an offense. Having a spark, you’ve got to have guys that believe.
“And I’m fully confident in myself throughout everything. I’m confident in my team. And I’m sure they’re confident in me, also.”
Cleveland’s offense created the three longest passing plays of the season under the direction of Sanders last week – plays of 66, 52 and 39 yards. That’s something that did not go unnoticed by offensive lineman Joel Bitonio, who said Sanders will only improve with the accelerated reps he’s getting in practice and in games.
“I think anytime you continue to work with someone, the continuity is going to continue to grow,” Bitonio told reporters. “In season, it almost forces it to happen faster. You get all the team practice reps, you get all the walk-through reps, you get all the game reps.
“A 60-play game is probably like three days of training camp. It happens a lot quicker in season, and the more you work at it, the more comfortable you’re going to feel. You’re going to understand how he likes to escape the pocket, what he’s thinking if you get a certain rush, his cadences – all those things are just going to continue to grow with more experience.”
One thing Sanders will have to improve is avoiding pre-snap penalties, as the Browns had five of those against the Raiders. Stefanski expects Sanders’ operation of the offense to get better with more reps. But one thing Sanders did a better job of was not running out of the back of the pocket and getting the ball out quickly, taking just one sack against the Raiders.
“I thought, by and large, the operation was good,” Stefanski said after the game. “It’s nice having a veteran center when you have rookie quarterbacks playing in there that you can really lean on. Ethan Pocic, he did a great job as well with Shedeur.”
Sanders faces a tough matchup in a traditionally stout San Francisco defense that is led by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. While the 49ers are missing frontline players in edge rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, along with All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, the 49ers have won three of their last four games and held the playoff-contending Carolina Panthers to nine points in a win last week.
“He’s a good young quarterback,” Saleh told reporters this week. “He’s mobile. He’s got a big arm, tremendous confidence. He made a couple of really, really good throws in the game against Vegas, extending plays, getting out of the pocket, delivering the ball where it needed to be delivered.
“Obviously, he showed good command of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. You anticipate someone like him who’s got that confidence, who has that skill set, he’s just going to get better and better every week.”
The son of legendary Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has ignited Cleveland’s fan base with his famous watch flex celebration and overall swagger.
“He got that spark, stardom and all that and he’s popping it right now,” Browns safety Grant Delpit said. “I tell him, ‘Keep popping it. Keep doing what he’s doing, and we got you on defense. We’re going to get you that ball back and keep riding that energy, man, because we need it.’”
However, Sanders understands that he’ll have to continue to earn the starting job each week.
“It can be taken at any point in time,” Sanders told reporters. “So, I’m never comfortable. And in the situation I’m in, I always want to exceed expectations, and I always want to grow. And each and every week, I want to put out a better product, be a better version of myself for the team to be out there.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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