Grading Shedeur Sanders' first career start for Browns

The first game of one of the most hyped up prospects in the NFL, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Sanders impressed in his debut, helping the Browns in a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Here’s how he graded out in his first performance.

Sanders couldn’t do too much on his first few drives of the game, but he wasn’t needed as Cleveland was able to take a 7-0 lead.

On the first drive of the game, Sanders went 2/2 with checkdowns as the offense went three-and-out. Then a huge punt return from Gage Larvadian set up a quick drive where Quinshon Judkins scored from the wildcat, and Sanders was on the sideline.

On drive three, Sanders would take a drive killing sack after not finding anything down field and failing to escape up the middle. He would make up for it though before the end of the quarter, tossing arguably the best pass any Browns quarterback has thrown this season on a 52-yard pass to Isaiah Bond.

Interestingly, the Browns opted to pull Sanders again in a goal line formation, scoring another touchdown with Judkins from the wildcat.

The second quarter didn’t start as kindly for Sanders. He faced a heavy pressure look, with most of the Raiders bailing out. Jerry Jeudy ran a hitch, and Sanders didn’t see linebacker Charles Snowden lurking and made an ugly pass.

Snowden made an easy interception, setting the Raiders up for a chip-shot field goal.

The rest of the second quarter was unremarkable for Sanders. The Browns went three-and-out twice. Sanders did make one impressive throw, buying time and delivering a strike to a wide open Jeudy. 

Unfortunately, that play won’t be looked on favorably, as Jeudy fumbled the ball after a 39-yard gain.

The third quarter wasn’t any better. He threw just over 20 yards, and the Browns could only muster one first down on two drives. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Browns went on a field goal drive without Sanders completing a pass for positive yards. His one completion was a seven-yard loss. Granted his offensive line didn’t play great, struggling with penalties, but Sanders couldn’t bail them out either.

Sanders did throw his first career touchdown pass later in the fourth quarter. It was a simple swing pass to fellow rookie Dylan Sampson, who took off for a 66-yard touchdown. Interestingly, both rookie quarterbacks, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, threw their first career touchdown passes to Sampson.

From there, Sanders didn’t do much more, but he had already done enough to ice the 24-10 win.

Overall, Sanders finished the day 11/20 for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception. 

On the positive side of things, he was able to stretch the field in a way the Browns haven’t seen in many games. He gave the offense life and hope several times. He also impressed maneuvering out of the pocket, evading pressure. He made several beautiful throws on the run. 

Some negative notes were his performance late in the game. After he threw the interception, he played much more timidly. He took checkdowns just as often as Gabriel, something fans have been complaining about all season. The offense became limited once again, something he needs to work on improving.

Overall, Sanders gets a B- for his performance, an impressive grade for a fifth-round rookie. Importantly, he should earn the starting job for the rest of the season. The offense accomplished things they hadn’t all year long. It’s worth letting Sanders continue to get reps, and see where he can develop for the rest of the season.

It was a promising start for the young quarterback. If he continues to build off what he accomplished, the Browns could have a new long-term quarterback on their hands.