Deion Sanders cried tears of joy when he found out his son, Shedeur, had finally made his NFL debut.The Cleveland Browns rookie, who was promoted to backup quarterback following the departure of veteran Joe Flacco in October, had not seen the field through 10 and a half weeks of the 2025 season.Sanders made his NFL debut against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11GettySanders was warming the bench behind fellow first-year signal caller Dillon Gabriel, but got his chance in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens.Gabriel exited the game with a concussion, paving the way for Shedeur to take his long-awaited first snaps.And no one was more excited to see him take the field than dad, Deion.Deion Sanders reveals reaction to Shedeur’s NFL debut“Shedeur got in today, and I told him he was going to play,” the Colorado Buffaloes head coach said, addressing an audience at a coaching clinic in Boulder.“But, I was thankful… I was in tears.“He called me screaming. And I’m like, ‘I’m crying right now! Can you leave me alone? Leave me alone!”Despite all the excitement from the Sanders clan, Shedeur didn’t have the debut he was hoping for.The young quarterback entered with the Browns leading the Ravens 16-10, but was unable to put up any points in the second half.Cleveland ended up losing 23-16, and Sanders finished 4/16 with 47 yards and one interception.His 13.5 passer rating was a historic low for any player with 15-plus attempts in their NFL debut since Browns QB Brandon Weeden (5.1) in Week 1 of the 2012 season.Sanders struggled in his debut and posted a 13.5 passer ratingGettyDespite a rough outing, dad Deion cried tears of joy when Shedeur got on the fieldGettyStephen A. Smith suggests something ‘smells’ about Shedeur Sanders debutPostgame, it transpired that Sanders had never taken a single snap with the Browns’ starters before Sunday, even in practice, and following his rough outing, Stephen A. Smith shared worry over the rookie’s future.“Shedeur Sanders finally got a chance to be in the game. Ladies and gentleman, he was awful,” Smith began on his YouTube channel.“It was bad. Completed his first couple of passes and then after that, we couldn’t even see if he was a quarterback, it was that bad.“Ladies and gentleman, I’m going to say it. This smells. I don’t know whether Shedeur Sanders is an NFL quarterback or not, and I don’t blame anybody assuming, or summarizing that he might not be.”Smith went on to blame Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski for the horror show, arguing that the rookie was under-prepared for his debut.The $105 million ESPN host continued: “How does he get zero snaps with the first team?Smith suggested something ‘smells’ as he broke down Sanders’ tough debutGettytalkSPORT reacts... Sanders blindsided by BrownsThere’s no denying that Sanders struggled in his NFL debut. But it was not entirely his fault.For the Browns to admit that he did not have any snaps with the starters prior to Sunday, is frankly shocking.Sanders — who as a backup is only one play away from entering the game — was criminally unprepared for his debut and that falls squarely on Stefanski.But with Gabriel unlikely to clear concussion protocol for Week 12, the Browns now have a second chance, and a week to get him up to speed.Sanders has the talent to lead Cleveland to a win against the dismal Raiders on Sunday, so it will be interesting to see how he performs if given the proper preparation and tools.Oliver Browning, US Sports Writer.“How is a player able to say they were unfamiliar with his snap count? He wasn’t prepped at all. You’re a QB2, your QB1 is an undersized dude, a hit away from getting concussed and taken out of the game.“Kevin Stefanski is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year.“He knows a thing or two about coaching football. How unprepared did Shedeur Sanders look? Suddenly he’s not comprehending plays?“Suddenly he doesn’t know the playbook? Suddenly he doesn’t know what’s going on? That’s not the reputation that we’ve ever heard about Shedeur Sanders.NFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?“I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but it smells to me. I really viewed him as being set up to fail, or at least not prepared to succeed.”Shedeur Sanders set for first NFL start against RaidersThere’s no doubt that Sanders’ debut left plenty to be desired, and Smith believes that’s down to him being unprepared for action.The blame for that, perhaps, lies with Stefanski.In Week 12, the Browns will have a chance to put things right.Smith believes Sanders was left unprepared for his debut by Coach StefanskiGettyAccording to insider Mary Kay Cabot, Sanders will start against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday barring an unforeseen circumstance.He will play instead of Gabriel, who is not expected to clear concussion protocol in time.The Browns have not opened Deshaun Watson’s 21-day practice window this week, meaning Bailey Zappe — who was signed to the practice squad — will backup Sanders.Las Vegas is 2-8 coming off a Monday Night Football loss to an emotional Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, and will offer Sanders a chance to make his mark if he’s properly prepared for the contest.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.