Shedeur Sanders, the rookie quarterback who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, made his first NFL start this past Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. While he didn’t play well overall, his Cleveland Browns were able to win, 24-10.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski subsequently made the decision to keep the younger Sanders under center for this Sunday’s contest against the San Francisco 49ers. While some may feel the 23-year-old hasn’t earned the right to continue to be Cleveland’s QB1, others have argued that, with the team virtually out of playoff contention, he should continue to start for the foreseeable future.
The younger Sanders told the media that he’s “definitely not comfortable” at this point, per ESPN.
“I’m definitely not comfortable, though, so that’s first and foremost that I have another opportunity to go out there,” Sanders said Wednesday. “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 in each and every week, I would want to put a better product of myself, be a better version of myself for the team to be out there.”
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After leading the Big 12 in passing yards and passing touchdowns and posting the best completion percentage in NCAA Division I FBS football last season at the University of Colorado Boulder, the younger Sanders was taken in the fifth round of April’s draft by Cleveland. Some were enamored with his potential, but plenty were concerned about his ability to make it at the next level.
He completed 11 of 20 pass attempts and had one touchdown pass and one interception against the Raiders. If he’s ever going to be even an adequate NFL signal-caller, let alone a good one, he’s going to need a lot more game reps before it is too late.
If the rookie’s intent is to keep playing in order to become more comfortable and get into a groove, that’s something he can be commended on, as there are players in the NFL who may become sheepish about starting the week after their first start yields poor individual results.
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The 49ers may be hobbled, especially on defense, but their defense has been rock-solid, especially during crucial junctures of games. They should certainly present more of a challenge for the younger Sanders than the moribund Raiders were able to.
For more on the 49ers and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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