The Cleveland Browns fanbase finally got to see what they have been waiting eons for, as much-hyped rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders finally made his NFL debut against the rival Baltimore Ravens following an injury to starter Dillon Gabriel.
The fifth-round pick many believed should have been selected much higher in the order completed his first two passes in the NFL, but things managed to take a bit of a downturn from there. Sanders was welcomed to the professional ranks by a fast Ravens defense,
Sanders was sacked on his third play in the NFL, which led to Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton breaking out Sanders' trademarked celebration. Rather than fight back on his next drive, Sanders got a crash course into how small professional throwing windows can be.
On Sanders' second drive, which came right after the Browns held Baltimore without any points, Sanders threw an interception to cornerback Nate Wiggins after getting drilled in the pocket. Scoring against the Ravens is much harder than scoring against TCU and Wyoming, and Sanders knows that now.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders gets sacked, intercepted on first two NFL drives
Sanders came into the game with Cleveland ahead 16-10, as Gabriel is being evaluated for a concussion. Against an improved, but still subpar, Ravens defense, Sanders now has a golden opportunity to possibly seize control of the starting quarterback job for the rest of the season.
Gabriel hasn't always struggled with completing a high percentage of his passes or avoiding turnovers, but the offense hasn't been able to reel off big plays down the field. Sanders might be able to push himself over Gabriel if he is able to excel in that area.
Of course, Sanders' biggest issue as a prospect was holding the ball and taking too many bad sacks. With the offensive line already beat up on top of being perhaps the worst such unit in the league, Sanders might show some fans why it took until the fifth round for some NFL decision-makers to decide it was finally time to use a pick on him.
With Gabriel failing to truly set himself apart as someone Cleveland can rely on in the future, Sanders may get some time to prove the Browns right for eventually taking a chance on him by helping defeat a division rival. Of course, there's an equally valid future in which he capitulates and goes through some rookie growing pains.