Former Jackson State star Shedeur Sanders finally stepped onto an NFL regular-season field Sunday.
The rookie made his long-awaited debut for the Cleveland Browns in a tense divisional battle against the Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Sanders became the latest HBCU quarterback to start an NFL game, marking a milestone in both his career and the continued resurgence of Black College football talent at the professional level.
Facing a fierce Ravens defense and a nationally televised audience, the rookie displayed a mixed bag during his outing.
Sanders finished 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards with an interception. He also had three carries for 16 yards as Cleveland, which led 16-10 at the half, fell 23-16.
The Browns turned to the 23-year-old after starter Dillion Gabriel sustained a concussion in the third quarter.
“First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to get out there,” said Sanders after the game. That’s all you could ask for, honestly, a chance to get out there, get your feet wet, to experience how it feels to even be out there with the team, with the first group, with everybody. So it truly was exciting.”
At Jackson State, Sanders led the Tigers to back-to-back SWAC championships and two Celebration Bowl berths.
So, how did Sanders think he did in his first NFL action?
“I don’t think I played good. I don’t think I played good at all,” he said. “I think it’s a lot of things, you know, we need to look at, during the week and go and just get comfortable, even throwing routes, you know, with Jerry (Jeudy) and throwing routes with all those guys. So I think that was my first ball to him all year. But other than that, I just think overall we just got to go next week and understand so then we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”
With one game in the books, Shedeur Sanders’ emergence adds another compelling storyline to the Browns’ season—and continues the legacy of HBCU players finding their place on football’s biggest stage.
