Former Patriots Quarterback Defends Shedeur Sanders After Ugly NFL Debut

After taking down the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football, the New England Patriots got to sit back and enjoy the rest of the action across the league on Sunday. During the late window, one of the more intriguing storylines of the day took place when the Cleveland Browns were forced to throw rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders into the fire.

After Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion late in the first half against the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns turned the ball over to Sanders. In his first NFL action, Sanders struggled mightily, as he completed just four of his 16 pass attempts for 47 yards and an interception.

Sanders is one of the most unique backup quarterbacks in NFL history, thanks in large part to the fact that he was expected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 draft. Instead, he fell all the way to the fifth round, where he has spent most of the season backing up Dillon Gabriel, who many talent evaluators believe is a worse quarterback than Sanders.

Given all the drama that has taken place in Cleveland this year, Sanders took a bit of heat for his outing vs. Baltimore. However, several longtime backup QBs have come out and supported Sanders. In response to a long post on social media by retired quarterback Luke McCown, former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer defended Sanders’ ugly NFL debut.

“So well put,” Hoyer said in response to McCown in a post on X. “I actually had more nerves during some of my backup stints than I did as a starter. Of course the pressure is greater as a starter but at least you know you’re going to be playing and you get the reps in practice. Backup QB is a great job but also one of the toughest in all of sports.”

Hoyer spent the majority of his 15-year career in the NFL operating as a backup, so he knows what it’s like to get called upon without virtually any warning. Making matters worse for Sanders, though, is that the first game of his career was a tightly contested affair against a playoff hopeful in the Ravens.

Should Sanders have to start for Gabriel in Week 12, chances are he will be prepared. This is just another example, though, of how lucky the Patriots have it currently with Drake Maye as their starting quarterback.