Shedeur Sanders’ first NFL start was the kind of debut Cleveland had been longing to see from a rookie quarterback for years. Sanders was efficient and calm. With more than three 35-plus-yard throws, he finished 11-of-20 for 209 yards against the Raiders on Sunday.
Advertisement
Sanders’ highlights also included a 52-yard bomb to Isaiah Bond and a 66-yard touchdown toss to Dylan Sampson. Sanders walked out of Las Vegas snapping both a 17-game losing streak for Browns rookie starters and the team’s 13-game road losing streak. Naturally, after such an impactful and record-breaking performance, the QB was high on confidence.
In a post-game interview, Sanders made it clear that he had been hearing all the noise about him so far but never doubted himself: “A lot of people want to see me fail and it ain’t going to happen,” he said.
Cleveland’s first functional passing game in months has also pushed HC Kevin Stefanski to announce Sanders as the starter next week against the 8-2 San Francisco 49ers. This sets up what is arguably the most anticipated Browns QB start since Baker Mayfield’s debut.
The expectations are already sky-high in Cleveland. But Greg Olsen wants the Browns fans to pump the brakes. On the latest edition of Bussin’ With The Boys, Olsen said he understands the excitement, but reminded fans that context matters. The win was good, yes, but the opponent matters just as much.
“To Shedeur’s point, again, you don’t apologize for who you beat. The Raiders stink… I mean, that’s just bad ball. The Raiders are the worst team in the league,” Olsen said bluntly.
And that was the heart of the FOX analyst’s message: Celebrate the moment, but don’t crown anyone based on his victory against one of the worst teams in the league. Olsen then pushed back on the popular narrative that Stefanski had been holding Sanders back all season for political reasons or because he had preferred Dillon Gabriel.
“Kevin Stefanski is not dumb… If he thought Shedeur Sanders was the answer to the problems, the answer to saving his job, Shedeur would’ve been the quarterback weeks ago,” Olsen shot back.
Indeed, if Sanders truly looked like the million-dollar QB1 as advertised before the draft in practices and meetings, Stefanski would’ve had him out there immediately. After all, no coach has the privilege to hold onto pride over job security in the NFL.
And interestingly, Olsen highlighted the contrast between Sanders’ situation with that of someone he admittedly feels “biased” toward, Titans rookie Cam Ward. Tennessee has won just one game this season, but Olsen believes Ward still looks more like an NFL quarterback.
“Yes, he’s thrown some… but that doesn’t look like a young rookie quarterback who’s playing above the level. He looks like he belongs. That’s a guy who’s competitive, he’s tough… his team stinks, but that dude belongs,” added Olsen.
Olsen, of course, isn’t rooting against Shedeur because he openly said he liked him in college, loves the arm talent, and loves the physical profile. His point is just that one game doesn’t define a rookie. And that’s the real takeaway here.
Because as much as Sanders lit up the Raiders, if he struggles next week against the 49ers, that shouldn’t be treated as a referendum either. Olsen’s message, in fact, is very reasonable: Rookies need grace. Just like Sanders earned his chance, he should be given a learning curve, too.
