Shedeur Sanders made his regular-season NFL debut on Sunday and it did not take long for Rex Ryan to fire off a review. The former Jets coach was not impressed with how the Browns rookie handled a rough afternoon.
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Sanders entered after halftime of Cleveland's 23-16 loss to the Ravens. Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion late in the first half, which opened the door for Sanders to take his first real snaps.
The moment did not go smoothly. Sanders finished 4-for-16 for 47 yards and an interception and sat alone on the bench after the game, trying to process it.
Ryan was not buying the optics. On ESPN's "Get Up," he said Sanders has "gotta get over himself."
"He's there by himself on the bench. I've never seen that," Ryan said, via Awful . "I've seen it in the seventh game of the World Series when you lose the game or whatever. This is a game that's a pillow-fight game. Nobody cares. Did he care, or are you trying to make it a show and make it about yourself?"
Rex Ryan on Shedeur Sanders sitting on the Browns bench by himself following their loss to the Ravens in his NFL debut: "Did he care? Or are you trying to make it a show of making it about yourself?" pic.twitter.com/TH9livTBwx
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2025
Ryan also pointed out that Lamar Jackson was walking the field looking to greet Sanders.
"You've got a guy over there that is a two-time MVP in Lamar Jackson. He was looking for you. Share a moment with him. Then get in there with your teammates," Ryan said. "Talk about 'I'm not comfortable losing.' You think anybody in that locker room is?"
The Browns would likely push back on the idea that the game didn't matter. And if Sanders had been smiling after a blowout loss, Ryan probably would have taken him apart for that too. The critique centered on presentation more than performance. Sanders clearly cared. Ryan simply thought the rookie needed to show it differently.
This also is not the first time Ryan has gone at Sanders. He criticized him earlier this season, prompting a quick response from Sanders' mother in a post she later deleted.
