Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is only making his second-career NFL start when the Cleveland Browns host the 49ers on Sunday, but San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh isn’t taking the 23-year-old signal-caller lightly.

In speaking to reporters Wednesday, Saleh offered high praise for Sanders as the 49ers’ defense prepares to face him and the Browns this weekend.

“He’s a good, young quarterback. He’s mobile, he’s got a big arm, tremendous confidence,” Saleh told reporters. “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. Obviously, he showed good command of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. You anticipate someone like him who’s got that confidence, who has that skill set, he’s just going to get better and better every week.”

Sanders took over for Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel at halftime of Cleveland’s Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens after the latter suffered a concussion.

The fifth-round draft pick then got the start last weekend in the Browns’ 24-10 win against the Las Vegas Raiders, throwing for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

So how exactly has Cleveland’s offense evolved in the six quarters with Sanders under center? Saleh cited the rookie’s ability to make plays off script adding another difficult wrinkle to prepare for alongside an already dynamic set of skill position players headlined by first-year running back Quinshon Judkins.

“We only have a game-and-a-half to go off of, but they’re going to run the ball. No one’s really giving the young man attention and that’s the back. He’s freaking good,” Saleh said. “I don’t want to mispronounce his name, number 10 [Cleveland Browns RB Quinshon Judkins]. He’s really good. [Cleveland Browns WR] Jerry [Jeudy] is really good. They’ve gotten [Cleveland Browns WR] Malachi Corley involved. Their rookie tight end’s doing a really nice job. So, they’re a really good offense. They’ve got a style to them. Shedeur, he came in over the last week-and-a-half, like his off-schedule stuff is going to be a problem, could already tell that.”

“As he gets comfortable and what they’re asking him to do, he’s only going to get better because you could tell how important it is to him and how much work he’s going to put into it. A guy who’s as good as gifted as he is, both physically and mentally and with the confidence he has, you just know he’s going to get better. So, they’ll evolve as an offense. I wish I could tell you exactly what it’s going to be. We have an idea of what it’s going to be on Sunday, but I’m sure they’re going to keep adding little wrinkles to help him grow as a football player and we’re just going to have to be great in those moments and play good, sound, fundamental football.”

Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and 49ers Super Bowl champion Deion Sanders, was selected No. 144 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

After entering the season as the fourth quarterback on Cleveland’s depth chart, Sanders has worked his way into a starting role, with Browns coach Kevin Stefanski opting to keep Sanders in the first-team offense despite Gabriel being cleared from concussion protocol.

Saleh and the 49ers’ defense have done an admirable job staying competitive despite a slew of injuries to their foundational pieces ranking 11th in points scored despite the absence of multiple All-Pro players.

San Francisco’s defense is coming off arguably its best game of the 2025 NFL season, allowing just nine points and 161 passing yards in the 49ers’ 20-9 “Monday Night Football” win over the Carolina Panthers.

The 49ers haven’t won in Cleveland since November 1984, and it appears Saleh and his defense aren’t planning on overlooking the Sanders-led Browns as they attempt to end a 41-year drought.

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