Shedeur Sanders Forced To Confront Tough Reality As Kevin Stefanski & Browns Make Desperate QB Decision

Shedeur Sanders walked into camp knowing the spotlight would burn hotter on him than most rookies. But when the Browns finally made their quarterback decision, the reality hit harder than expected. Not only did Sanders lose the battle for the starting job, but he also slipped behind rookie Dillon Gabriel in the pecking order. Joe Flacco kept the QB1 role, Gabriel secured QB2, and Sanders was left as the third-string—an “emergency” option under the 2023 bylaw.

Kevin Stefanski made it official. “#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski tells reporters that Shedeur Sanders will be the third QB, meaning he’s able to dress for games,” reported Ian Rapoport. That means Sanders will be waiting for a chance to prove himself, while Gabriel now gets the chance to show he might be more than just a backup—maybe even a franchise QB in the making.

Outside noise hasn’t been kind. Bleacher Report slapped Cleveland with a brutal ranking, putting the Browns’ QB room at 30th in the league on its preseason “five worst” list. But inside the locker room, the verdict is different: this competition isn’t over; it’s just begun. According to veteran Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel may need to accept a harsher reality. “Competition always brings out the best in everyone. No matter where you’re at in the NFL, there’s always going to be someone pressing you. These guys should get used to that, because that’s the name of the game. There’s always someone right behind you, ready to take your job—that’s just the tension of the NFL.”

Cabot’s words cut deeper than just camp chatter. They frame what the Browns have already set in motion: an active search for their next franchise quarterback. Multiple reports confirm Cleveland has deployed scouts to almost every marquee college football game this fall, a move less about evaluating opponents and more about evaluating replacements. The strategy shows how long the Browns have been trapped in QB purgatory.

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But insiders whisper that it may not be that simple. Owner Jimmy Haslam’s ties to the Manning family could tilt the board toward Arch Manning, setting up not just a quarterback sweepstakes. Quite possibly a cold war between the sons of two football legends. For Sanders, that looming uncertainty might be suffocating. “I think overall as a player, I feel like I’ve put in the work. I feel like everything I do, I try to do it to my best, and that’s all you can ask for.” It’s the right mindset, but in a league where every snap is dissected, effort won’t be enough. Sanders will need to deliver his A-game every single time he touches the field.

A wake-up call for Shedeur Sanders?

Shedeur Sanders didn’t just play a rough game against the Rams. He walked straight into a mirror that exposed every crack in his foundation. Three completions on six attempts for 14 yards. Five sacks that dragged him back 41 yards. Joe Thomas, the Browns legend, didn’t sugarcoat it on The Dawgs Podcast. “Unfortunately, the things that made Shedeur drop in the draft were he takes too many sacks. He drifts in the pocket. He’s not comfortable stepping up into the pocket and making quick decisions and reading the defense.” The truth stung because it was deja vu of the very weaknesses, circled in red ink.

And that’s the cruel paradox of Sanders. Against Carolina, he looked like a polished diamond—precise, as Thomas put it. Then came the Rams, and suddenly the shine faded, revealing the college version of Shedeur. He drifted, dropped too deep, and let the pocket swallow him like quicksand. Instead of climbing the pocket and firing with conviction, he tried to run laterally. It’s the same flaw that haunted his final college season: 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns—but also a national-high 42 sacks. Numbers that scream talent and torment all at once.

The real dagger was the lack of correction, the way frustration chained him down instead of setting him free. Thomas nailed it: “As soon as he lost confidence in his protection…he just continues to drop deeper and deeper and deeper, which is just compounding the problem.” In the NFL, hesitation is blood in the water. Over five second-half series, Sanders managed just one first down while inviting sack after sack. Including a backbreaking 24-yard loss that felt like a white flag. By the time the tape hit, the head coach didn’t need another preseason snap to have a change of initial QB plan.

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