Is this going to be a thing every week now? That’s probably what Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was thinking after he was asked to re-confirm his starting QB for the umpteenth week in a row following Week 13’s 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. And in case you were wondering, it’s still Shedeur Sanders.
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The former Colorado Buffaloes star is now 1-1 as a starter. While he has flashed some real talent, he has definitely looked like a rookie fifth-round pick during many other moments. He went 16-for-25 for 149 yards and a score against the Niners. Encouragingly, he did not turn the ball over. His three sacks for 34 yards showed that some bad habits still linger, but overall, it was a decent enough performance.
It certainly wasn’t a benchable performance. Especially in a guy’s second career NFL start. And that’s important context. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel was given six starts before the team moved on. Sanders has only had two. As Cam Newton said on First Take, the team should be giving these guys an “equal opportunity” to develop and be evaluated.
“I believe in equal opportunity. I believe that whatever you’ve given one, you should give the other. I believe we have to develop our players in the best way we know how. And if you’ve given Dillon Gabriel, if you’ve given Joe Flacco an opportunity to properly evaluate them, you need to do the same thing for Shedeur Sanders,” Newton said.
“The truth is, given what was the situation yesterday, I was pleased with Shedeur Sanders did do,” he added.
Newton went on to say “hell no” after asking himself whether he believed the Browns were a good team. And most would agree. That’s why Sanders having less-than-exciting performances is not as alarming as it otherwise might be. There is no dynamic No. 1 receiver or even a reliable tight end that Sanders can hang his hat on.
Newton says the Browns are asking a rookie QB and rookie RB (Quinshon Judkins) to “carry your team,” which is a recipe for disaster. He compared them to the 2016 Cowboys, but unfavorably.
“That’s not a recipe for success in the National Football League… In most recent history that I can compare it to was when Dak Prescott was a rookie, and then you have Ezekiel Elliott. But the thing that they had was an unbelievable offensive line and you had options at the receiver position. That’s not what Cleveland has right now.”
"I believe in equal opportunity. I believe that whatever you've given one, you should give the other." ✍️@CameronNewton reacts to Shedeur Sanders being named the starter for Week 14 🏈 pic.twitter.com/Dhq0yJLd9L
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 1, 2025
Those Cowboys had one of the best offensive lines in their era, as well as Cole Beasley, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten. These Browns have none of that. Their 177 WR targets this season are the fifth-fewest in football, and their 33 sacks allowed are the bottom 10 in the league.
Shedeur Sanders will continue on as the starter until he does something drastically bad because, hey, it’s not like he’s playing somewhere like Minnesota, where they have everything but the QB. The Browns are missing a lot on that side of the ball. And right now, Sanders is the best man for that less-than-ideal job.
In fact, Sanders has even outplayed Gabriel through each player’s first two starts if you just look at the raw numbers: higher completion percentage (60.0 to 56.5), almost twice as many yards per attempt (8.0 to 4.8), a much better passer rating (90.8 to 77.1), and he’s even taken half as many sacks (4 to 8).
