Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut on Sunday, taking over as the Browns’ quarterback early in the third quarter as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel left with a concussion.
But the Browns offense sputtered with Sanders running the show, as he went 4-for-16 with 47 yards and an interception as the team did not score after he entered the game, and Cleveland let a six-point lead slip away in a 23-16 home loss to the Ravens to fall to 2-8.
Sanders, who finished with three rushes for 16 yards, went 2-for-2 on his first drive but took a sack before a punt. After Gabriel was ruled out for the rest of the game, Sanders threw an interception on his next drive.
Sanders, 23, was considered to be a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after finishing his college career at Colorado, playing for his father Deion.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) drops back from the line of scrimmage during the second half against the Ravens on Nov. 16, 2025. AP
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) in the second half on Nov. 16, 2025. AP
But he stunningly fell all the way to the third day, when the Browns finally took him in the fifth round — two rounds after they selected Gabriel, 24.
Joe Flacco began the season as the Browns’ starter but was benched for Gabriel after going 1-3 to start the season, and he was then traded to the Bengals and became their starter with Joe Burrow injured.
The Browns went 1-4 over Gabriel’s first five starts entering Sunday.
During those five starts, Gabriel completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 850 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.