Shedeur Sanders did exactly what you’d want a Cleveland Browns quarterback to do. He didn’t play his best game, but he got the job done. And former Browns guard Ross Tucker noticed a real difference between the shaky half we saw from Sanders against the Ravens and the more confident version that showed up against the Raiders.

Tucker was in the booth for Sanders’ first NFL start, and you could tell he walked away encouraged.

“I was impressed. I thought overall, it was a very favorable evaluation. He didn’t light the world on fire; they didn’t need him to. He did have a tremendous throw on the run to Isaiah Bond. I just can’t picture Dillon Gabriel making that play,” Tucker said on the Dan Patrick Show.

Now, do not get Tucker wrong. Gabriel has been reliable in his own way. He’s careful. He protects the ball and rarely forces anything. But that style has also boxed in the Browns‘ offense. His eight games produced only two interceptions, but also just seven touchdowns and one win. Everything lived underneath. Everything was safe. But ‘safe’ didn’t do a lot of good.

Sanders, on the other hand, came in knowing he had to take real shots. He’s not scared of a pick, and he’ll go deep when a window opens. That 52-yard strike to Bond told the whole story. But what impressed Tucker most wasn’t the stat sheet and the numbers.

“But you know what it was? It was the eye test. He wasn’t drifting out of the back of the pocket; he was stepping up as they urged him to do, he was getting rid of the ball pretty quickly. He was poised, he was composed. He only took one interception. From that second half against the Ravens to this game against the Raiders, there were clear strides,” Tucker added.

That Ravens half didn’t offer much reason for optimism. Sanders finished 4-for-16 for 47 yards, one interception, two sacks, and a 13.3 rating. Nothing looked settled. Timing was off. He held the ball too long. But against the Raiders, he got rid of the ball faster, used his mobility to avoid sacks, and racked up an 87.3. That just tells you how important getting those first team reps was.

Tucker pointed out something else, too: that was probably the best the Browns’ offensive line has looked all season. They knew they had to help the rookie. They knew he needed clean pockets and early answers. And you could sense how much the group believed in him from the moment Myles Garrett reacted to that 52-yard throw.

Sanders is the Browns’ QB1 right now. That’s not changing this week. But nothing about him sounds complacent.

Shedeur Sanders is not getting too comfortable

The QB1 opportunity only arose after Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. It was clear that head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t trust Sanders. But despite Gabriel clearing the protocol, Sanders will remain QB1 against the 49ers this week. And the quarterback made it clear that he isn’t getting too comfortable in his new position.

“I’m definitely not comfortable, though, so that’s first and foremost that I have another opportunity to go out there. But in life, you got to understand how quickly things come or how long it comes, it could be taken at any point in time. So I’m never comfortable in a situation I’m in. I always want to exceed expectations, and I always want to grow each and every week,” Sanders said.

He knows that every game will be a test if he wants to remain a starter. And you saw what one week of first-team reps did for him. He’s added another week to his belt. He’s got the perfect opportunity to prove himself against the 49ers, who rank 32nd in total sacks (13) after losing Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.