Shedeur Sanders gets positive news after loss to 49ers

Ever since Shedeur Sanders took over the starting role, all eyes have been on him and his development with the Browns, and if he can maintain the starting job against fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

In the first home start of his NFL career, it was a series of highs and lows for Sanders, but overall the offense was flat in a 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Despite the struggles, Sanders will still have the opportunities available to prove himself, as head coach Kevin Stefanski has named Sanders the starter next week against the Tennessee Titans. 

While Sanders will start against the Titans, Stefanski would not entertain any conversation about commiting to him further than just one week. Over the weekend, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Browns are open to getting an extended look at Sanders.

Against the 49ers, Sanders started the game out looking solid. Battling against the wind, he was able to make quick and smart decisions, completing six of his first eight pass attempts. 

The gameplan was run heavy, with Sanders only getting a limited number of dropbacks through the game. On a drive that was all runs, Sanders was given one throw. He made it count, finding fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr. for a 34-yard touchdown.

After that score, things began to go worse for Sanders. The offense wouldn’t score again, he missed on a handful of big throws and narrowly avoided injury after an awkward slide attempt.

He did put together a good drive to end the game, but after taking a big sack and getting called for a false start penalty, the drive stalled out once again for a turnover on downs that ended the game.

He finished the day 16/25 for 149 yards and a score. He did a good job avoiding turnovers, and only took a pair of sacks, something he has struggled with in his career.

It wasn’t the prettiest of days, but it was enough to keep his job.

Now he’ll face off against another rookie in the Tennessee Titans’ Cam Ward.

It’ll be an interesting matchup to see just where Sanders is in his development. Ward will be facing off against an elite defense in Cleveland, while Sanders gets an easier challenge with the Titans.

The two quarterbacks were often compared to each other in the predraft process, and now it’ll be the first matchup between them. 

The leash for Sanders seems to be growing, allowing him to grow and learn as he plays. He’ll continue to make mistakes, but the Browns will just be looking for development as the season goes on.

If he can continue to keep the starting job and grow for the remainder of the season, he could enter the offseason as Cleveland’s top quarterback next year. If he falls flat or at least doesn’t grow over the next few games, the Browns may be looking at drafting a quarterback once again.