It’s Shedeur Sanders time for the Cleveland Browns.
The fifth-round rookie quarterback out of Colorado is making his first career start in Week 12, filling in for the injured Dillon Gabriel. If Sanders has his way, it’ll be the last quarterback change for quite some time in Cleveland.
Ahead of the Browns’ matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sanders met with CBS’ Tiffany Blackmon to talk before the opening kickoff.
Sanders appeared confident in the brief exchange, especially when asked what he hoped to show in his first start.
“I’m who they been looking for,” Sanders said.
What does Shedeur Sanders hope to show teammates and Browns fans today?
“I’m who they been lookin’ for”
🎙️ @tiffblackmonpic.twitter.com/15pbdjWMwD— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 23, 2025
The rookie also told Blackmon that he felt good before kickoff.
“Feels good, but we cool, calm, collected, like this ain’t nothing to us,” Sanders said.
Sanders struggled in his debut, posting a 13.5 passer rating in limited action. The rookie is looking for a much better performance in Vegas, against a weaker Raiders’ defense.
Here’s a look at his stats from Week 11:
- Completions/Attempts: 4/16
- Passing yards: 47 yards
- Passing touchdowns: 0
- Passer rating: 13.5
- Interceptions: 1
- Fumbles (Lost): 1
- Rushing yards: 16 yards (3 carries)
- Sacks: 2
The Raiders present as one of the softer landing spots for a quarterback to make his first start. Vegas has lost four straight and own one of the worst defenses in the league.
Sanders was no stranger to big stages in college, since his Colorado team was always in the spotlight.
The Cleveland rookie is trying to become the first quarterback to win his first start since Eric Zeier in 1995.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Browns’ Shedeur Sanders has bold proclamation before first start
