‘My fault’: Shedeur Sanders owns up to his clumsy rookie mistake in the midst of the battle to become the Browns’ quarterback

S hedeur Sanders found himself at the centre of attention before he had even taken his first snap for the Cleveland Browns against the Buffalo Bills .

The quarterback, who is competing for a starting role in Cleveland , admitted that he made an awkward mistake before Saturday's preseason matchup when he failed to report for the coin toss despite being named a team captain.

Sanders explained the mix-up during a sideline interview with News 5 Cleveland , taking responsibility rather than trying to hide what happened.

“I messed up before I got on the field,” he said. “I didn’t go out for the coin toss. I know I was the captain, but I just thought I was the captain of the team for a week. I didn’t know I was captain of the coin toss.

“It was a laughing moment with Coach [Todd] Monken and everybody. It was funny. I’m like, ‘My fault, Coach. I thought we were just being situationally aware. I thought you were just informing me on what we’re going to do when it happens.’”

It was an unusual moment for Sanders , particularly because the quarterback is trying to make an impression during a preseason battle that could have major consequences for his immediate future.

Rather than allowing the blunder to become a distraction, however, Sanders quickly shifted his attention toward what mattered most: his performance once the game began.

Sanders responds after difficult outing against Chicago

The Bills game represented an important opportunity for Sanders after a less convincing showing against the Chicago Bears .

His previous preseason appearance included an interception that was widely viewed as an unnecessary mistake, increasing the importance of his next opportunity to demonstrate consistency and command of Cleveland's offense.

Against Buffalo, Sanders showed signs of settling into the role.

After the Bills opened the scoring, the Browns quarterback answered with a touchdown drive that levelled the contest at 7-7 with 2:56 remaining in the opening quarter.

Sanders ultimately completed 9 of 11 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. He did throw an interception and was sacked, but his overall performance produced an 87.1 passer rating.

The interception was particularly unfortunate. A pass intended for tight end Jermaine Terry arrived slightly behind the receiver, allowing the ball to deflect off Terry's hands and into the arms of Bills safety Damar Hamlin .

Despite the turnover, Cleveland's decision-makers appeared encouraged by Sanders' overall command.

“Really pleased with Shedeur,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said on the telecast.

“I think everyone can see how well he threw the ball, he played with poise, he played with command of the offense. You could see his playmaking. That fourth-down throw to Blake Whiteheart and then we got a holding penalty on the scramble that he overcame with a nice throw to Luke Floriea.”

Sanders was similarly upbeat when reflecting on his contribution during his mid-game interview.

“My half of the game, it felt great to be back in the stadium,” Sanders said. “It went really great today. I’m real proud of the way how we operated.”

His night ended after the first half, with Deshaun Watson taking over at quarterback.

Watson struggled to generate momentum. He completed just 5 of 12 attempts for 35 yards, throwing one interception without producing a touchdown across four series spanning the third and fourth quarters. Browns supporters also voiced their displeasure by booing Watson during the performance.

That leaves Cleveland's quarterback situation firmly under the spotlight as the preseason moves toward its conclusion.

Sanders still has plenty to prove before any decision is made, but his ability to recover from an embarrassing pregame misunderstanding and deliver a relatively composed performance will be an important part of the conversation.

Head coach Todd Monken has indicated that the Browns do not intend to prolong the decision indefinitely. Speaking before the Bills game on the University Hospitals Browns Radio Network, Monken said he “[does] not anticipate the quarterback decision going past early in next week.”

For Sanders , then, the coin-toss mistake could ultimately become little more than a funny story from his preseason, provided his performances continue to give Cleveland reasons to believe he can handle the much bigger responsibilities that await him.