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Shedeur Sanders Was Consoled by Former Colorado Teammate After Browns Debut

Kristen Wong

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders shared a special moment with former Colorado teammate LaJohntay Wester after Sunday's loss to the Ravens.
Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders shared a special moment with former Colorado teammate LaJohntay Wester after Sunday's loss to the Ravens. / Screengrab on Twitter/ @NFL
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As Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders took his first NFL snaps under center in Sunday's loss to the Ravens, everyone was watching—including his former Colorado teammates.

Sanders put together a middling performance after getting subbed in for a concussed Dillon Gabriel in the third quarter, going 4-of-16 for 47 yards with an interception and taking two sacks. His highly anticipated NFL debut was spoiled by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, who scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take home the 23-16 divisional win.

Even so, Sanders came close to leading the Browns on a game-tying drive at the end of the fourth and shouldn't hang his head too low given his effort when thrown into the fire. Sanders was seen sitting by himself on the bench after the final whistle looking pensively into the distance and likely musing on his NFL debut when he was joined by a familiar face. Ravens wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, who played with Sanders for one year at Colorado in 2024, took a seat next to him to check in on his friend and fellow rookie.

Sanders and Wester exchanged some words, with the Ravens player seemingly trying to console Sanders after his first loss of his NFL career.

The special moment between the two former Buffaloes teammates has since gone viral on social media:

Sunday's defeat served as a bitter first taste of NFL action for Sanders, one he'll probably always remember.

"Playing quarterback is extremely hard, so I like knowing every detail about my receivers," Sanders said postgame. "I got a relationship with all the Hungry Dawgs, though. We like clockwork out there. But you just got to see everything a little bit more."

Sanders could start in his first full NFL game next week against the Raiders if Gabriel remains in concussion protocol.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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