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Shedeur Sanders made his regular season debut for the Cleveland Browns in the team’s 23-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and it wasn’t the outing he would have hoped for in his first real NFL action.
Sanders went 4 of 16 for 47 yards, was sacked twice and threw an interception. The Ravens finally saw tight end Mark Andrews score a rushing touchdown in the 23-17 victory.
Sanders criticized himself after the game, but former NFL quarterback Cam Newton said the game confirmed an opinion he’s had for some time.
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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field on November 16, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t think Kevin Stefanski wants Shedeur Sanders to succeed in Cleveland,” Newton said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “The reason is, don’t tell me what he said, don’t tell me what he says. I’m walking away from stocks – okay? Let’s walk away from stocks.
“The actions are if I’m Shedeur, or if I’m a Shedeur Sanders fan, I wouldn’t want him to step on the field because that’s always going to be the show we’re going to see. It doesn’t matter if it’s Deshaun Watson, it doesn’t matter if it’s Shedeur Sanders, it doesn’t matter if it’s Dillon Gabriel, it doesn’t matter if it’s Dan Orlovsky, it doesn’t matter if it’s Shedeur Sanders. Cam Newton. You need help in Cleveland. When you have a quarterback still making $46 million on your roster, and he’s not healthy, it impacts the talent around him.
The Browns are 2-8 this season and Sanders marks the third quarterback change since the start of the regular season. Initially, 41-year-old journeyman Joe Flacco led Stefanski’s offense, but he was benched, allowing rookie Dillon Gabriel to take over.
BROWNS’ SHEDEUR SANDERS OFFERS SHARP CRITICISM OF PERFORMANCE IN EARLY NFL DEBUT
After Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, Gabriel became a full-time starter with Sanders backing him up. It’s been a struggle for Gabriel, who completed 7 of 10 passes for 68 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions Sunday before Stefanski turned to Sanders after Gabriel suffered a concussion.
Newton believes Sanders is doomed to failure, saying the Colorado product and son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders hasn’t been given a fair chance to make his mark in Cleveland.
“But that’s what annoys me the most… because [Sanders] “I don’t have any reps,” Newton said. “Around 2015, around when Cam Newton was MVP, around when, hey, my replacement for [the] The majority of my career has probably been the biggest blessing of my career, having a veteran in Derek Anderson. Ron Rivera always knew, “We’re one game away, kid, from you being gone.”
Cam Newton attends the BET Awards Media House on June 29, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Robin L. Marshall/Getty Images for BET)
Sanders was candid during his postgame press conference while discussing his performance in his first regular season action.
“I don’t think I played well,” Sanders said. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and get comfortable with launching routes with Jerry. [Jeudy] and throwing routes with all these guys.
“I think that was my first ball against him all year,” he continued. “But other than that, I think overall we need to go next week and figure it out, so we have a week to prepare for the things that I love to do.”
According to Newton, Sanders had not received any first-team reps in practice prior to this game. He began the season as the team’s third-string quarterback before becoming Gabriel’s backup after the Flacco trade.
Despite the poor outing, Sanders’ confidence doesn’t waver as the Browns head into next week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road.
Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns leaves the field after losing to the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 at Huntington Bank Field on November 16, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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“I still have the same confidence. I’m still me,” he said. “I’m never going anywhere. You know, just going out there, seeing the light of day, that’s all I needed to see how they develop there. Playing against a great defense. You’ve got some Pro Bowl guys there, so it’s exciting to see. Okay, is that what it is? Okay. Is that what it is? I’m excited for that. So, you know, I just gotta take this one and build on it.”
Stefanski did not name a starting quarterback for the game against the Raiders, although an announcement is expected later this week.
