"Seen him in the cafeteria": Shedeur Sanders’ daily routine inside Browns HQ revealed ahead of first NFL start vs. Raiders

Shedeur Sanders is making his first NFL start on Sunday at the Las Vegas Raiders, and some people within the Cleveland Browns have revealed more about him.

On Saturday, The Athletic's Dianna Russini wrote about the fifth-round rookie's preparations for the game. Sources said that they could sense a "calm about (him) that sticks out" - one that manifested as he wandered the halls of the team's headquarters while watching film on his iPad and went from meeting to meeting, including personal sessions with coach Kevin Stefanski:

"For a third-day pick who barely took reps earlier in the season, Sanders is, as one Browns player described it, 'treating this start like a final exam he can’t fail.'"

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She also recalled this anecdote from a staffer:

"They’ve seen him in the cafeteria, tray in front of him, iPad out, dissecting Raiders tape as if his career depended on it. Because, in many ways, it does."

Russini concluded:

"He’s not in the league simply to fill a roster spot; he’s here to make a statement. Sunday isn’t just a first start. It’s Sanders’ opportunity to rewrite the narrative, and he’s determined to do just that."

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Bomani Jones predicts Shedeur Sanders leaving Browns after 2025 season

There was a significant amount of blowback towards Shedeur Sanders after his first minutes of action against the Baltimore Ravens. After all, he was not exactly good on the field, throwing an interception and eating a sack.

And for Bomani Jones, that means bad things. On Friday's episode of his "The Right Time" podcast, he warned that Deion Sanders' son would be one-and-done in Cleveland unless he played "lights out" for the rest of the season:

"Something about that relationship does not feel good. The staff does not seem invested in him in any sort of way, which means he probably has to go somewhere else to get this done."

He continued:

"This league is not about giving people chances. They give people jobs. You can seize an opportunity, but nobody owes you a chance."

Despite the skepticism, Raiders QB Geno Smith had nothing but good words for him during his press conference on Wednesday:

"I'm happy for my guy, man. A guy who I've been talking to for a long time, and just happy to see him getting a shot. But unfortunately, it's against us."

The Browns-Raiders game is expected to kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

Edited by Andre Castillo