The first time the public saw Shedeur Sanders on the field in an NFL game was on Nov. 16, when he took the field in relief of an injured Dillon Gabriel to try to engineer a last-second win against the Ravens.
Yet behind the scenes, with few watching, the Browns fifth-round rookie has been working for the opportunity that he'll get Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, when he makes his first career start with fellow rookie Gabriel out due to a concussion.
Bailey Zappe was elevated from the practice squad this week to be Sanders' backup.
Here is how Sanders has prepared for such an opportunity this season, along with the rest of the younger players on the Browns and their practice-squad brethren.
Every week this season, Sanders and the younger players will participate in what's called "Hungry Dawgs Period." The brainchild of head coach Kevin Stefanski, Hungry Dawgs features 8-10 extra reps for those who need it, with the focus on that week's game plan, not random or scout-team reps. These happen either during practice or, more likely, afterward.
While most backups don't get more than a handful of reps during practice, this period is an opportunity to develop -- and much of it benefits Sanders.
One source described those reps as the most valuable part of practice for Sanders. Sanders then will have a private meeting with Stefanski to go over all his reps and critique them. Since backup QBs rarely get first-team reps in practice, these extra snaps are aimed at accelerating their trajectory.
Those Hungry Dawgs Periods have helped Sanders make progress during a rookie year that has included scant practice reps.
The regular season began with Joe Flacco as the Browns' starting QB and Gabriel getting only a few reps as the backup. When Flacco was traded to the Bengals on Oct. 7 after four games, Sanders was elevated to the No. 2 spot behind Gabriel, but he still got only a few reps in practice. Thus, the value of those private sessions with Stefanski, who is invested in the success of Sanders.
As for Sanders' first outing in the Week 11 loss to the Ravens, it was a struggle, but it did have some moments.
Sanders ultimately finished 4 of 16 for 47 yards with an interception. However, that came without first-team practice reps in the week preceding the game and without a game plan designed for him. Such a scenario was what Cleveland had hoped to avoid, which is why its preference was to not bring Sanders off the bench to play in the middle of a game.
The injury to Gabriel, however, forced the Browns' hand.
Sources say Sanders had a very good week of preparation for his first career start on Sunday, throwing it well in practice and preparing well. Among the alterations to Cleveland's game plan is an expectation for a few more deep shots from Sanders, whose ability to throw it downfield is one of his strengths. The plan for Sunday includes what Sanders likes and is comfortable with.
On the flip side, don't expect a final determination of Sanders' status as a franchise QB (or not) after Sunday. The start against the Raiders is one step.
Regardless of how Sunday plays out, any final determination of Sanders' viability as a future starting QB in Cleveland will not be made off this one game. But with Cleveland owning two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, even development toward having a potential franchise QB is worth monitoring.
