Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders played well enough in his first NFL start last Sunday that he made Cleveland's decision to start him again an easy one.
Sanders now has the opportunity not only to start again Sunday against the 49ers, but also to play well enough to continue earning starts for the rest of this season.
The Browns are open to giving Sanders an extended look for the rest of this season, just as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel got in the first half of this season, sources told ESPN. But much of that decision will be dictated by how Sanders plays, starting Sunday.
The Browns were impressed with what they saw in Sanders' first NFL start last Sunday at Las Vegas -- his playmaking skills, his aggressive downfield throws, his ability to buy time and push the ball down the field. Sanders will have to continue to get comfortable playing in structure and on time, but the Browns are encouraged with what they have seen so far.
Sanders is said to have had another good week of practice this week, taking the starter's reps for the second time this season.
"Very committed to working at it, doing a great job, communicating with coaches, with the players," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Friday. "Good work week, but nothing different. I think any player though, once you get one game under your belt, you got the next one coming. I think it can only help."
The Browns also are not worried about how much Sunday's weather might affect Sanders. There could be cold, snow and wind -- typical Cleveland conditions in late November.
"Yeah, he played at Colorado," Stefanski said. "That's a lot of wind that you're going to get. You're going to get all sorts of weather. So he's good to go."
Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Cleveland's 24-10 victory last Sunday over the Raiders. The fifth-round draft selection said earlier this week that even though he's getting the starter's reps, he's not getting "comfortable" and still needs to fight for his role as Cleveland's starter.
"I'm definitely not comfortable, though, so that's first and foremost that I have another opportunity to go out there," Sanders said Wednesday. "But in life, you got to understand how quickly things come or how long it comes, it could be taken at any point in time.
"So I'm never comfortable in a situation I'm in. I always want to exceed expectations, and I always want to grow in each and every week, I would want to put a better product of myself, be a better version of myself for the team to be out there."
This is the opportunity now in front of Sanders. The Browns are open to playing him now, but they also are not rushing to any judgements. For now, they know he's their quarterback and he has another chance to gain more trust, silence more critics and prove he can be the Browns' answer at quarterback.