Rookie Shedeur Sanders will be the starting quarterback for the Browns in the next home game against the San Francisco 49ers, according to coach Kevin Stefanski. Sanders, selected in the fifth round of the draft, will keep his position even though Dillon Gabriel, also a rookie and chosen in the third round, has passed the concussion protocol. In his debut as a starter, Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, with a touchdown and an interception, in the 24-10 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders.
When asked if Sanders’ starting status would be a weekly decision, Stefanski responded that they will focus on the current week. Sanders, who became the 42nd quarterback to start a game for the Browns since 1999, also broke a 17-game winless streak for the team when a quarterback made his first start in the NFL.The main job of a quarterback is to win. I’m excited that he got his first win. The next thing is improvement, and that’s what young players do, especially quarterbacks. You improve with each game, and that’s achieved by working. That will be our focus.
Kevin Stefanski
Gabriel, before suffering a concussion against the Ravens in Week 11, had started the previous five games. In eight games (six as a starter), Gabriel completed 59.2% of his passes for 937 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The Browns had a record of 1-4 in the games that Gabriel started before his injury.In any quarterback’s first start, you always want to make sure the operation is as you want it, and overall it was good. There are things we can improve, and that includes all of us: coaches, players, and the quarterback. The communication was very good throughout the day. There were great plays on the field, like the 52-yarder to rookie receiver Isaiah Bond, which was of great difficulty.
Kevin Stefanski
