Teammates expect deep shots, lots of energy in Shedeur Sanders' first start

Nobody knows exactly what to expect from Shedeur Sanders in his first NFL start Sunday against the Raiders.Receiver Cedric Tillman is certain of one thing."I was saying today that for sure we know he's going to take some shot down the field, so it's our job as pass catchers to catch the ball," Tillman told The Chronicle-Telegram on Friday. "Definitely excites me."Receiver Isaiah Bond concurred, saying he "most definitely" expects more deep passes.Browns-Raiders Preview: 3 things to watch, 3 key numbers, the predictionSanders is an aggressive quarterback who isn't afraid to try to extend plays and throw long. The rookie showed that in his NFL debut last week when he hit rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for a 25-yard completion and threw back-to-back incompletions into the end zone on Cleveland's unsuccessful final drive in the loss to the Ravens."Shedeur's going to play Shedeur's game, so I'm looking forward to watching him ball," Tillman said. "The receivers, tight ends, we're all going to do our best to make sure he looks good so ultimately we look good. But I'm excited for him."Tillman is from Las Vegas, played at Bishop Gorman High School and lives in the area in the offseason. He will have several family and friends at Allegiant Stadium.Everyone else will have their eyes trained on Sanders.He's immensely popular but also has a fair share of critics. He's grew up in the spotlight as the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion, who coached him at Jackson State and Colorado.Myles Garrett sacking QBs, dropping records during torrid spree that has awed teammates, coaches and opponentsSanders dropped to the fifth round of the draft after originally being considered a potential top-five pick. He was a distant fourth in the quarterback competition in training camp and opened the year No. 3 on the depth chart. He moved up a spot when Joe Flacco was traded to the Bengals, then saw his first action last week when fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel didn't play the second half due to a concussion.Sanders was excited to see the field but noted a complete lack of practice time with the starting offense after going 4-for-16 for 47 yards, an interception and a 13.5 passer rating. He took all the first-team reps this week."It's been good," Tillman said. "I'm really impressed with his approach this week, really professional, he seems locked in. So I'm excited to play."Sanders ruffled feathers early in the season when he said he was ready to start and better than some starters in the league. The coaches have been adamant, and Tillman agreed, that he was devoted to his development and took advantage of the time with the scout team and in the Hungry Dawg periods after practice and on Mondays and Saturdays."He's just kept his head down and worked," Tillman said. "You haven't heard him complain. He's done a great job."Three phenomenal plays and a Hall of Fame compliment for rookie Carson Schwesinger"I think he's been ready for this moment," safety Grant Delpit said. "With the scout team, he was always not trying to throw any turnovers, takeaways, always taking the right checkdown. So he's had that starter mentality, so I'm excited to see him this weekend."Undrafted rookie receiver Gage Larvadain has spent a lot of time catching passes from Sanders with the backups and in the opportunity periods. He can relate to Sanders' impatience as another guy who had always been a starter."He invites me to his house all the time, we go over the script," Larvadain said. "We keep that prepare-like-you're-a-starter mindset and he's done a good job with that. And now it's his time to go out there and do his thing."Defensive end Myles Garrett has also noted he's seen Sanders in coach Kevin Stefanski's office in the morning."We've been doing that throughout the season," Stefanski said. "Just get to spend extra time with him, just watching a lot of his tape from the previous day."Sanders said he learned a lot as they went "through the checklist, through the reads" but cautioned the game is a different animal. He said that multiple times."All that stuff changes whenever you're in a real game, honestly," he said. "It feels way different. Hungry Dawgs is cool, but it's not the real thing. I don't know if it genuinely prepares you to go out there in the actual game and be able to dominate."Sanders will be the 42nd quarterback to start for the Browns since they returned in 1999. He'll be the 14th rookie and could be the first to get a win."I feel like I'm the guy, I know I'm the guy, but you'll just have to be able to see," he said. "The game got to speak."The Browns are 2-8, have lost 13 straight on the road and are desperate for a win. The Raiders are also 2-8, providing a beatable opponent.A surer bet than downfield throws is that Sanders will bring the energy. The smile and swagger are omnipresent."I think Shedeur is just going to be himself," Stefanski said. "I think that's what players appreciate, other players when they're themselves.""Him coming out there with his energy is going to feed off into us and into the offense," Bond said. "So it's definitely a great thing."Sanders' enthusiasm can be a detriment when he hangs onto the ball searching for a big play and takes too many sacks. The Ravens blitzed him relentlessly last week, leading to two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovered by the Browns."I think I handled the blitz pretty good," he said. "In some certain scenarios I could have been tighter with my footwork. All that's about a different feel and getting the reps."Coordinator Tommy Rees said everyone could've done a better job in protection."We got to be technically better in some areas," he said. "We have to be in the right checks in some areas. There's a lot of different issues that are caused."The more you're back there, the more you feel confident in where those protections are and where we are protecting him, but we got to do our part around him and make sure that he feels that, as well."Stefanski and Rees spent the week huddled with Sanders to design a game plan he likes and trusts."You want to make sure that all the concepts are things that he feels confident in," Stefanski said. "Obviously having been around him over the months, you get a good sense of the things that fit his eyes, so to speak. So definitely want to lean into those type of things and he's working very hard."The deep ball is on the list."You want to put in plays that breathe confidence into them as they hear 'em, as they call 'em, plays that they know they can make work," Rees said. "Then you press the guys around them to raise their level of play and play well to continue to breathe confidence into the young quarterbacks."Larvadain said the whole organization has Sanders' back."We're rallying behind him and we're ready for him to go and put on a show and do what he does best."The post Teammates expect deep shots, lots of energy in Shedeur Sanders' first start first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.