CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
The highly publicized quarterback entered with 12:43 remaining in the third quarter after the Browns announced Dillon Gabriel was being evaluated for a concussion. Gabriel was ruled out later in the quarter.
On his first snap, Sanders threw a 5-yard pass to Cedric Tillman with the Browns leading 16-10. He completed both of his passes for 12 yards on his first drive but fumbled after an 11-yard sack by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton.
Sanders threw his first NFL interception on his second series. On third-and-10 at the Browns 17, Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy got pressure up the middle and hammered Sanders as he released the ball. The throw was off target and picked off at the 30 by Nate Wiggins, who returned it 14 yards.
The Browns got the ball back on the next play when rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger picked off Lamar Jackson.
Sanders became Cleveland’s backup behind fellow rookie Gabriel after Joe Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7.
A fifth-round pick by the Browns after some projected him to go in the first round, Sanders was inactive for Cleveland’s first five games as the emergency third quarterback. His father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, coached him in college at Jackson State and Colorado.
The Browns opened camp with a four-QB competition among Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders. Pickett was considered the front-runner before suffering a hamstring injury, missing time and being traded in August to the Las Vegas Raiders for a fifth-round pick.
Gabriel completed 7 of 10 passes for 68 yards in the first half.
