The Cleveland Browns just won their third game of the season in Shedeur Sanders‘ first NFL start, but at 3-8 the remainder of the year is essentially a fact-finding mission for the seasons ahead.
There is no bigger question in Cleveland than the future of the quarterback position, with two rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Sanders on the roster and two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, which the Browns can, and likely will, use to secure another signal-caller next spring.
Ben Solak of ESPN offered an in-depth analysis of Sanders’ play in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders, coming to the conclusion that one could describe the QB’s performance as either good or bad, depending on perspective and which statistics are lent more weight. As such, Solak’s conclusion is that the Browns simply need to stick with Sanders moving forward to gather as much data as they can.
“The smart thing to do with all of this information would be … absolutely nothing,” Solak wrote Tuesday, November 25. “Because we know what we know about Gabriel to this point, it’d be nice to learn more about Sanders across the rest of the season. The Browns will invariably look for a new QB1 next offseason, but with good play this season, Sanders could work his way up the QB depth chart from his August beginnings at QB4.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski apparently, and perhaps begrudgingly, agrees with Solak. He named Sanders the starter for next week’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers, even though Gabriel has cleared concussion protocol after suffering a head injury against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11.
Browns May Already Be Prepared to Close Book on Dillon Gabriel as Longterm Starter
GettyQuarterback Dillon Gabriel of the Cleveland Browns.
Solak went so far as to essentially close the book on Gabriel after six starts, asserting that he is not a starter at the professional level — or at least not for the current version of this Cleveland team.
“We can say with confidence that Gabriel struggles to escape NFL speed and size in the pocket, push the football down the field and create outside of structure,” Solak continued. “Of 36 quarterbacks with at least 150 drop-backs this season, Gabriel is last in drop-back success rate, yards per drop-back and air yards per attempt. He nickel-and-dimes in an offense that can’t sustain that play style. This was also how he played in college, as he lacks the physical traits to consistently make throws downfield or extend drop-backs under pressure. This is who he is.”
Following a poor performance in the second half by Sanders against Baltimore, which was his first action in an NFL regular-season game, Stefanski committed to bringing Gabriel back into the starting lineup once healthy.
However, Sanders’ 11-of-20 passing for 209 yards, one TD and one INT in the 24-10 win over Las Vegas — combined with the pressure from fans and local media, the majority of whom clearly prefer Sanders to Gabriel — led Stefanski to change his position this week.
Shedeur Sanders Likely Playing for QB2 Spot With Browns Heading Into Next Season
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
That doesn’t mean that Gabriel won’t get back on the field in 2025, or that he won’t start again. An injury is what forced the Browns’ hand with Sanders, and the same circumstances in reverse would result in Gabriel elevating back to QB1.
However, Sanders has a chance with a good showing against the 49ers to cement his position as the starter for the remainder of the season. The Browns have six games remaining, including a home contest against the one-win Tennessee Titans in Week 14.
If Sanders plays well against a decimated San Francisco defense, let alone if he wins, there is a reasonable chance he strings together three quality games and is potentially 3-0 as a rookie starter heading into mid-December.
There is no reason for the Browns to trade either Sanders or Gabriel next offseason, save for some unlikely and unreasonably large offer, as both are playing on reasonable contracts and Cleveland is likely to draft a potential franchise QB in Round 1. The rest of this year is now about who will enter camp in 2026 as the primary competition for whatever rookie signal-caller the Browns draft, as well as who is the likely QB2 in Cleveland heading into 2026.
As of now, Sanders has the edge in both regards.
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