It might seem obvious by now, but at this point for the Browns, Shedeur Sanders is pretty much the only sensible option the team has at quarterback. In six starts, Dillon Gabriel did not show himself to be a sure bet as a capable future NFL quarterback, and there really is no point in putting third-stringer Bailey Zappe on the field. Sanders has more upside than either and, at 3-8, it’s in the Browns interest to find upside wherever possible.
But the Browns in general and coach Kevin Stefanski in particular have been slow to come to that realization, even as fans and Browns observers clamored to see Sanders for weeks before he finally made his first appearance. That came after halftime of the Week 11 loss to the Ravens, and only because Gabriel had suffered a concussion.
The Browns have not committed to running out the season with Sanders. But according to a new report from ESPN, they’re open to wrapping up the season with Sanders at QB1 for the next month-and-a-half.
Browns Will Give Shedeur Sanders ‘Extended Look’
Here’s what longtime NFL insider Adam Schefter wrote about the Browns’ thinking on the situation:
“The Browns are open to giving Shedeur Sanders an extended look for the rest of this season, just as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel got in the first half of this season, sources told ESPN. But much of that decision will be dictated by how Sanders plays, starting Sunday.
“The Browns were impressed with what they saw in Sanders’ first NFL start …Sanders will have to continue to get comfortable playing in structure and on time, but the Browns are encouraged with what it has seen so far.”
Browns Have No Other Real Options
Now, the casual observer of Browns football would probably see that and say something along the lines of, “Well, of course.” But the fact that it takes an NFL insider with organizational sources to break the story that the Browns are open to letting the best quarterback on the roster play the quarterback position says something about what kind of year the team’s decision-makers have had.
The team began the season with veteran Joe Flacco atop the depth chart, and when he was traded, turned to Gabriel, despite the fact that he was pretty clearly overwhelmed and undertalented. It was remarkable that the team took so long to turn to Sanders, who has a better arm, more athleticism and better pocket awareness than Gabriel.
Sanders has obvious flaws but also gives the Browns a better chance to win, and again, the fact that it takes an insider’s breaking report to state that Cleveland will play the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win can be filed in the sad-but-true basket.
Getty ImagesCleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel is unlikely to start again this season.
Browns Still Have No Ideas on 2026
Schefter did not go so far as to say that the Browns are going to keep Sanders in place going into 2026. He wrote only that Sanders could get there if he keeps playing well.
He noted, “The Browns are open to playing him now, but they also are not rushing to any judgements. For now, they know he’s their quarterback and he has another chance to gain more trust, silence more critics and prove he can be the Browns’ answer at quarterback.”
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said this week that the trust-building process has just gotten started, and the 24-10 win over the Raider sin his first start was a big step.
“I think hard to win on the road, hard to win as a rookie,” Rees said. “Did a nice job in some of the things we asked him to do. …
“There’s a lot of great learning opportunities out there and then there’s a lot of plays that he made that helped our offense and helped us score enough points to win the game, but, again, we’re really doubling down on how can we be process oriented, not get too caught up in a result of a win or a loss and just focus on every time you come in on a Monday, there’s going to be a bunch of plays that you want to correct.”
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