Browns' Shedeur Sanders Gets Strong Defense From Ex-QB After Replacing Dillon Gabriel
The lengthy list of fans across the NFL awaiting Shedeur Sanders' opportunity to see the field for the Cleveland Browns finally got their wish on Sunday, Nov. 16. However, to use a phrase that Sanders' father and college coach, Deion Sanders, often says, the rookie quarterback was unable to quiet the "naysayers" with his play in limited action. When fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel exited Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion, Sanders was thrust into action.
Sanders, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, entered with 12:43 remaining in the third quarter, but with few first-team practice reps and no regular-season experience, struggled to help the Browns hold a 16-10 lead they had going into halftime. He finished the game completing just 4-of-16 passes for 47 yards and one interception while being sacked twice.
Shedeur Sanders Takes Ownership of Poor Performance
While Sanders' play didn't showcase any of the upside displayed throughout his collegiate career at Jackson State or Colorado, it led to the internet unleashing plenty of heavy criticism. However, no one was more critical of the performance than the rookie quarterback himself, as ESPN highlighted.
“I don’t think I played good at all,” Sanders said.
Although Sanders underwhelmed in the 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the criticism from many on social media was met by pushback regarding the lack of reps and opportunities the quarterback has received thus far in his career.
Among those who sided with Sanders and don't believe it's fair to assume the worst about the Browns' rookie is one former NFL quarterback and broadcaster.
Ex-Quarterback Defends Shedeur Sanders After Browns' Loss to Ravens
One of the most interesting comments made about Sanders' performance came from Tim Hasselbeck, a former NFL quarterback, whose brother Matt also had an impressive NFL career. Matt's career included a playoff run that culminated in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL.
Hasselbeck joined the Dan Patrick Show on Monday, Nov. 17, and addressed the tall task Sanders faced after not getting "any reps" but being thrown into the fire when "everyone wants you to play like a starter." He explained that a backup quarterback is "never" getting first-team reps in practice, adding to the brutally tough ask of stepping into the QB1 role.
"You don't get any reps, but when you're thrown in there, everyone wants you to play like a starter. And when you don't, no one says, 'Well, little Timmy didn't get the reps!' It doesn't work that way...it's the same thing at pretty much every position." Hasselbeck said.
"You don't get any reps, but when you're thrown in there, everyone wants you to play like a starter. And when you don't, no one says, 'Well, little Timmy didn't get the reps!'"
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) November 17, 2025
– @tthasselbeck on backup QBs like Shedeur Sanders coming into games. pic.twitter.com/sV4vXxBH0C
He added that the only time the team's starting quarterback won't get almost all of the work in the week leading up to games is if it's a longtime veteran who has a scheduled day off, which obviously wasn't the case with fellow rookie Gabriel.
Hasselbeck did admit that it's "typically obvious" in terms of the quarterbacks on a roster as to who's the most game-ready. This, of course, explains the initial decision to start Gabriel over Sanders. However, he makes a fair point that expecting Sanders to step into the QB1 role with little to no work with the first-team offense is a brutal task for any NFL player, specifically at the quarterback position.
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