Colorado head coach Deion Sanders praised the way his son Shedeur Sanders has handled the noise around him. He weighed in after the Cleveland Browns quarterback made his first start of the 2026 season in a 23-22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints.

As a rookie, Shedeur went 3-4 in seven starts and finished the season with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions across eight appearances. However, he spent the first eight weeks of 2026 as Deshaun Watson’s backup and got the nod at the Caesars Superdome because Watson was in the concussion protocol.

Deion Sanders Sees Growth in Shedeur Sanders Over the Last Year

Deion has watched Shedeur go from a 2025 fifth-round pick to a rookie starter and back to a backup role, and the Pro Football Hall of Famer spoke highly of how his son has grown: “He’s matured so much, and he’s grown so much in the last year or so that I’m really, really proud of it because he’s never had to deal with circumstances.”

Deion also described the noise that has come with the family name: “We’ve always dealt with chatter. If your last name is Sanders, you’re going to deal with chatter. We’ve always dealt with that from youth all the way up. But the level of dysfunction that permeates around is crazy.”

Despite that, the Colorado coach kept the focus on how his son has responded: “For him to rock steady and find his balance, it’s wonderful seeing him mature, especially when we’re in the same room.”

Opportunities for the former Colorado star have been hard to come by in 2026, because Watson won the starting job after Shedeur split first-team reps in a training camp competition. The 10-year veteran has thrown for 1,806 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions this season while taking 33 sacks.

Pro Football Network’s NFL QB Impact Grade has Watson at 70.3 through Week 9, 24th of 35 graded quarterbacks.

Deshaun Watson’s Concussion Opened the Door for a Start in New Orleans

The opening came after Watson took a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Jaquan Brisker during the Browns’ 27-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8. Shedeur filled in for four plays and completed both of his passes for 2 yards. Cleared by the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, Watson returned to the field that day, but symptoms surfaced the following night and sent him into the protocol.

Shedeur ran with the first-team offense all week in practice. “Last year, I was able to see what I needed to see, feel different things during the games and understand what I need to get better at,” he said on Nov. 4.

“So, then going into this offseason, we worked on that, and training camp, of course, in this offseason, and overall, I’m just excited for the opportunity.”

Browns head coach Todd Monken named Shedeur the starter on Nov. 6, two days before kickoff, and spoke highly of the second-year quarterback’s progress: “He’s very diligent and he likes to play football, has a natural confidence about him. … Where he’s improved is his footwork, his drops, his mechanics, understanding where to go with the ball, sense of urgency in terms of working through his progressions, protections.”

Against New Orleans, Shedeur completed 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, though he was sacked five times. He also ran 10 times for 28 yards.

His second touchdown pass, a 39-yard strike to Harold Fannin Jr. in overtime, pulled Cleveland within a point before the Browns’ two-point pass failed. PFN’s Impact Grade has Shedeur at 72.8 for that game, 16th of 30 graded quarterbacks that week.

The start accounted for 31 of Shedeur’s 34 pass attempts this season.