Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders finally made his NFL debut in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens. However, his performance barely matched the hype. On ESPN’s “Get Up”, the broadcast recently replayed key moments from his first outing. And when Deion Sanders Jr. watched the segment on TV, he reacted with a mix of frustration and sadness.

“They’re about to rip my boy [Shedeur],” Deion Jr. said in his Instagram story as he watched the show.

ESPN first replayed the clip of Shedeur Sanders getting sacked by the Ravens defense. Deion Jr. immediately commented, “Oh, so that player got down.” Then the show switched to playing Shedeur’s interception, which prompted Shedeur’s brother to further say, “Oh, really wanna show the bad play.” You can feel the disappointment in the older brother’s words.

The ESPN broadcast then showed Shedeur sitting on the sidelines with his eyes downcast and cut to the show hosts. At that moment, Deion Jr. made his saddest remark of the entire clip about how the hosts will criticize his brother’s debut performance. The reality was that Shedeur stepped in only because Dillon Gabriel left with a concussion. With Shedeur then remaining on the field for the rest of the game, the Browns lost 23–16. 

It was a rough outing for the rookie quarterback. But his father, Deion Sanders, felt the emotional weight of the moment. He told reporters later that it was Deion Jr. who had called to inform him that Shedeur entered the game. Deion said that he broke down in tears after hearing the news.

“I was in tears,” said Deion Sanders. “[Deion Jr.] called me screaming. ‘Man, I’m crying right now. Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone.’”

Shedeur completed only 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards with one interception in his NFL debut. That stat line raised questions and criticism of the rookie QB. But some analysts also saw his performance as a positive sign. Shedeur brings something different to the Browns’ offense. Something the team desperately needs. The QB is not afraid of deep throws. Nick Karns, co-host of the Barking Browns Show, even praised this trait.

“All I know is we saw Shedeur Sanders throw the ball down the field while Dillon Gabriel was checking down every chance he got,” wrote Karns via X. “Roll with Sanders. Let the chips fall where they may. Opportunity knocks.”

That’s a fair point. Gabriel often relies on safe, short passes. Shedeur, even in a shaky debut, tried to push the ball. Isn’t that what Cleveland’s offense has been missing? The Browns have already moved on from veteran QBs like Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. Now with rookie QB Gabriel sidelined, a window to grab the QB1 job just opened for Shedeur.

Cleveland finally makes a QB decision with Shedeur Sanders

Dillon Gabriel remains in the concussion protocol, so he will not play in the upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders. So, while Shedeur remains the only healthy quarterback in Cleveland, he is the favorite to get the starting QB job in Week 12. 

“Browns’ Shedeur Sanders is expected to start Sunday’s game in Las Vegas with Dillon Gabriel in the concussion protocol,” wrote Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot via X. “Barring something unexpected, Sanders will make his starting debut, becoming the 42nd Browns starter since 1999.”

A full week of practice with the starters should help. But can Shedeur Sanders settle in? He finally has the opportunity to seize the QB1 job in Cleveland. But recently, when reporters caught up with head coach Kevin Stefanski, he refused to speculate about Shedeur’s chances.

“I’m not going to speculate on that type of thing,” Stefanski told reporters. “I know this, we trust our players and we’re just solely focused on the next game.”

That’s fair enough. But fans will expect some progress with Shedeur Sanders. He struggled with pressures from Baltimore’s secondary and pocket presence. But this week, fans will expect him to perform better from the opening snap against the Raiders. It remains to be seen whether the rookie QB proves that he has real potential or becomes just another unfulfilled promise in Cleveland.