Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders finally made his long-awaited NFL debut.

The fifth-round rookie out of Colorado, whose slide became the story of the 2025 NFL Draft, stepped into Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens while starter Dillon Gabriel was evaluated for a head injury.

Gabriel was later ruled out for the remainder of the game, leaving it up to Sanders to finish off a game in which the Browns held a 16-10 lead.

Sanders’ first NFL pass to Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman went for a 5-yard completion. On third-and-8, however, he was sacked by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who celebrated with an apparent approximation of Sanders’ signature watch celebration.

On his second possession, Sanders threw an errant pass deep in Browns territory on third-and-10 that was intercepted by Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins. Sanders took a big hit shortly after releasing the ball.

After Cleveland took the ball back with its own interception one play later, Sanders converted a third-and-3 with a 5-yard scramble. But the series came to an abrupt halt when he took a sack on third-and-6.

Sanders had yet to take a regular-season snap in his rookie campaign until Sunday. He began the season as the third-string option behind starter Joe Flacco and Gabriel, the third-round rookie who was installed as the backup. After the Browns traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, however, Sanders took over as the No. 2 option.

Despite Gabriel’s struggles in recent weeks, head coach Kevin Stefanski resisted a change at quarterback and kept Sanders’ practice reps relatively limited.