Shedeur Sanders Draws Strong Praise From 49ers DC Robert Saleh Before Week 13

Shedeur Sanders Draws Strong Praise From 49ers DC Robert Saleh Before Week 13 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is not underestimating Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Asked about Sanders ahead of Sunday’s Week 13 matchup, Saleh opened with a direct assessment that doubled as a warning.

“He’s a good young quarterback,” Saleh said. “He is mobile, he’s got a big arm, tremendous confidence. He made a couple of really, really good throws in the game against Vegas, extending plays getting out of the pocket, delivering the ball where it needed to be delivered.”

Saleh also pointed to Sanders’ poise. “Obviously showed good command of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. You anticipate someone like him that has that confidence, who has that skillset, that he’s gonna get better and better every week.”

That progression is exactly what the Browns are betting on as Sanders prepares for his first home start at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

49ers Pass Defense Vulnerabilities Raise the Stakes

The 49ers are not arriving with an airtight pass defense. San Francisco is allowing 241.8 passing yards per game, the seventh-most in the NFL. The unit is also giving up 1.8 passing touchdowns per game, ranking in the bottom ten alongside the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints.

Opposing quarterbacks are completing 69.41 percent of their passes against San Francisco, the fourth-highest rate in the league. Those numbers paint a clear picture: the 49ers have struggled to disrupt timing routes, protect the deep thirds, and finish drives with stops.

That is the context that makes Sanders’ momentum relevant. If he builds on last week’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders and gets the full push of a Cleveland crowd behind him, it could be a challenging afternoon for a 49ers defense that has not consistently held up in coverage.

Sanders’ Path From Emergency Backup to Promising Starter

Sanders’ early NFL arc has moved fast. His debut came under chaotic circumstances when he was forced to relieve Dillon Gabriel against the Baltimore Ravens after the veteran suffered a concussion. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski admitted Sanders had never taken a first-team rep before entering that game, and it showed in his stat line: 4 of 16 passing for 47 yards and an interception.

Despite the rough introduction, Cleveland immediately committed to him. With Gabriel still in concussion protocol, Stefanski handed Sanders the starting job and, for the first time, a full week of preparation. That reset mattered.

The rookie responded by delivering a composed, dynamic performance against a Raiders defense that had been lit up by the Dallas Cowboys a week earlier. Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, finishing with an 87.3 passer rating in his first career start.

Why It Matters in Week 13

Sanders is still developing, but he is entering Sunday with real momentum, a favorable matchup, and his first home environment behind him. For a 49ers defense already giving up high-efficiency passing numbers, the margin for error shrinks.

And for Sanders, Week 13 offers something simple but significant: a chance to show that last week was a beginning, not an anomaly.