Shedeur Sanders Will Take the Reins of the Browns as Starting Quarterback
The Cleveland Browns have announced that Shedeur Sanders will be the starting quarterback in the upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The announcement was made by coach Kevin Stefanski, while Dillon Gabriel, who was the starter, remains in the NFL concussion protocol.
Shedeur Sanders, son of Hall of Famer and Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, began his NFL career with the Browns as the fourth quarterback. However, he has been climbing the ranks and will now have his first start in Week 12.
This will be the 42nd quarterback to start a game for the Browns since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999.
Sanders, selected in the 2025 draft, made his NFL debut in the second half of the game against the Baltimore Ravens, after Gabriel was evaluated for a concussion. Although Sanders had some difficulties, completing 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception, and suffering two sacks.
After Sanders’ debut, Stefanski confirmed that those were the first plays he had taken with the starting offense in any setting. Gabriel has not yet been cleared to practice, so Sanders will take advantage of those valuable practice reps to prepare for his first start.
The general manager Andrew Berry compared Sanders’ transition to the pros to someone who is “fluent in English and now has to learn Mandarin”.
Throughout the season, Sanders has shared scout team reps with the team’s other backup quarterbacks.
Sanders was rated as the number 1 quarterback prospect in the 2025 draft. However, he fell to the third day of the draft, where the Browns selected him in the fifth round.
At the start of training camp, Sanders was behind Gabriel and veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Sanders did not receive reps with the starting offense, but he had the opportunity to start the first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
In that game, Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and added 19 rushing yards in the victory over the Panthers. Subsequently, he missed the following game due to an injury. In the last preseason game, Sanders had some difficulties.
After the Browns traded Pickett to the Raiders, Sanders made the 53-man roster along with Flacco and Gabriel. He began the regular season as the third quarterback and was inactive for the first five games. After the Browns traded Flacco, Sanders became the backup. He has been the QB2 in all but one game.
Sanders replaces Gabriel, who has been the starter in the last five games. Gabriel ranks 32nd out of 33 quarterbacks in Total QBR. The Browns had a 1-4 record in the games Gabriel started before his injury.
