The Cleveland Browns didn’t draft Shedeur Sanders to let him rot behind veterans. And this week’s update confirms it.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the organization is now open to giving the rookie quarterback an extended look for the remainder of the season, shifting their evaluation timeline sooner than expected. It’s a move that signals one thing clearly: the Browns want real answers on whether Sanders can be their long-term guy, not just a developmental project.
This isn’t charity or hype-based decision-making. Cleveland watched Dillon Gabriel get meaningful snaps earlier in the year and saw the value in accelerated reps. Now they’re ready to put Sanders through the same process. But with far more attention and scrutiny, because he’s the prospect with the higher ceiling and the louder expectations.
Schefter reported that the Browns are considering expanding Sanders’ role and giving him a similar extended runway to the one Gabriel received in the first half of the season. Inside the building, coaches believe giving Sanders more game action is the only way to fast-track his growth, sharpen his decision-making, and truly see how he handles NFL speed.
The timing also matters. Cleveland’s offense has been inconsistent, the quarterback situation has been shaky, and the front office understands that delaying the evaluation only stalls the franchise’s long-term direction. If Sanders is the real answer, they want evidence now, not in 2026.
How Shedeur Sanders Waited for His First Real Shot as Gabriel Went Down and Flacco Left?
By October 2025, the Browns faced a messy quarterback room, and Sanders sat in the middle with no clear path forward. Joe Flacco opened the season as the starter, but the team’s 1 to 3 stumble pushed Cleveland to bench him and hand the offense to fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
That shift immediately dropped Sanders on the depth chart, and even after the Browns traded Flacco to Cincinnati on October 7, they still refused to give Sanders a meaningful role. Instead of taking advantage of Gabriel’s injury concerns and the sudden lack of veteran depth, the coaching staff doubled down on Gabriel and gave him nearly all the first-team reps, leaving Sanders buried as the backup they didn’t trust to run a full game plan.
By mid-October, Sanders was waiting, watching, and getting almost nothing in return. Gabriel’s struggles did not move the needle. Flacco’s departure did not open doors. Every chance that seemed to be lining up in front of Sanders kept evaporating and left him stuck in a strange limbo, a hyped draft prospect who could not convince the coaching staff he was ready.
When Gabriel finally went down with a concussion in mid-November, Sanders was thrown into a game cold without the preparation and timing a young quarterback needs. The result was exactly what you would expect from that setup. A shaky debut filled with misfires, turnovers, and visible discomfort adjusting to the NFL’s speed. He made 11 out of 20 throws for 256 yards in total and made 1 touchdown with Dylan Sampson, which gave the Browns a 24-3 lead over the Las Vegas Raiders midway through the 4th quarter.
That rough performance validated the staff’s earlier hesitation and reinforced why he was not given earlier snaps. Shedeur roared after the game, saying, “Everybody starts at different places, and as I said, just because I didn’t get the summer reps, just because I wasn’t in the best situation for me to be prepared to go out there and execute from a summer standpoint, that’s how life is,” Sanders said. “Everybody’s not in the best situation, but it’s no excuse. You’ve got to go out there and perform. There’s no choice and no question. Nobody cares if this was one week of prep. Who cares? A lot of people want to see me fail, and it isn’t going to happen.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski also gave his take on Sanders, saying, “Good work week, but nothing different. I think any player, though, once you get one game under your belt, you’ve got the next one coming. I think it can only help.”
But the situation shifted again when the Browns, low on options and looking for answers, asked Sanders to start the following week. This time, he was not stepping in blind. With a full week of preparation and actual first-team reps, he delivered a steady and competent performance and helped lead Cleveland to a much-needed road win over the Raiders.
That game, not the chaos surrounding Gabriel’s concussion or Flacco’s exit, finally opened the door for Sanders. And now, with the Browns signaling they are open to giving him an extended look for the rest of the season, the months of waiting, instability, and missed chances have turned into the opportunity he could not pry out of October.
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