After weeks of waiting, NFL fans finally got to see Cleveland Browns’ rookie Shedeur Sanders make his welcome to the NFL. Sanders went in following the conclusion of the first half as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel was knocked out of the Week 11 contest to be evaluated for a concussion.
Sanders finished 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards and an interception. He also had three carries for 16 yards as Cleveland, which led 16-10 at the half, fell, 23-16. But — playing against the Baltimore Ravens — Sanders also got to play against former Colorado college teammate LaJohntay Wester.
Shedeur Sanders Relishes First Game Moments
Wester, a wide receiver, and Sanders were close at Colorado, and Wester even went to check on the Browns quarterback after he struggled in-game. The video of the moment between Wester and Sanders was posted on X by NFL insider Ari Meirov.
In his media availability, while Sanders later acknowledged he felt he didn’t play well, he also emphasized how excited he was to just get out on the field.
“That’s all you can ask for, honestly,” Sanders said in his postgame press conference. “A chance to get out there, a chance to get your feet wet. To experience how I feel, to even be out there with the team, with the first group, with everybody, I truly was excited.”
#Ravens WR/PR LaJohntay Wester went over to check on Shedeur Sanders — his former college teammate at Colorado — after Sanders’ tough first NFL action.
pic.twitter.com/bwoAqaLxWv https://t.co/jHmerSosFm
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 17, 2025
At Colorado, Sanders was known as one of the most accomplished QBs in college football history, he finished his career with 50 games played in four seasons and completed 1,267-of-1,808 passes (70.1%) for 14,353 yards and 134 touchdowns with 27 interceptions.
Wester played his 2024 senior season with the Buffaloes and competed in all 13 games and started in 12 — ending the season with 74 receptions for 931 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense.
Baltimore drafted the WR in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft, while Cleveland took Sanders in the fifth.
READ MORE: PFSN’s 2025 NFL Midseason Awards: Predicting the MVP, DPOY, OPOY, Coach of the Year, and More
With Sanders under the helm of the opposing teams, the Ravens now have a 48% chance of making the playoffs and a 42.6% chance of winning the division — their chances of winning Super Bowl LX are now 2.4% according to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor.
The Browns (2-8) next turn their attention to playing at the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) on Nov. 23. “I think it’s a lot of things that we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable … I just think overall we need to go next week so we [can] understand and have a week to prepare [with] stuff I’d like to do,” Sanders also said.