Fans Are Convinced Shedeur Sanders Was Browns GM Andrew Berry’s Draft Choice

Shedeur Sanders got two things right in his first NFL start on Sunday. First, he secured a win for the Browns, and second, he delivered the kind of performance that instantly reminded people why he once generated so much pre-draft hype.

11-of-20 passing for 209 yards, a deep 52-yard dime on third-and-8, and a 66-yard touchdown screen to Dylan Sampson highlighted the QB’s day. Most importantly, though, Shedeur delivered a 24-10 victory that snapped both a 17-game losing streak for first-time Browns starters and a 13-game road losing streak in the NFL.

Was the performance flawless? Not at all. He was inaccurate at times, made some really ugly throws and even got picked once. But one cannot deny that it was an impactful performance. And by the time Shedeur walked off the Allegiant Stadium field flashing his signature watch celebration and forming a heart with his hands, the narrative around him had already begun shifting.

That shift picked up even more momentum when Shedeur reached the locker room and fell into a long embrace with Browns GM Andrew Berry. The moment sent fans spiraling into speculation about who exactly pushed for Sanders on draft day.

This is a question that has simmered in the minds of NFL fans since April. Because while Cleveland took Dillon Gabriel in Round 3, a quarterback widely believed to be Kevin Stefanski’s preferred developmental choice, they followed that up by selecting Shedeur two rounds later. It was a move that felt out of sync with Stefanski’s plan.

To add to this, Gabriel received all the early first-team reps since preseason, while Sanders was completely out of the picture until a week ago. And lastly, reports from the summer painted the picture that Stefanski never wanted Shedeur, while Berry may have been eyeing two rookie quarterbacks as trade/draft assets for a potential Arch Manning signing in 2026.

So naturally, when Shedeur hugged Berry after breaking multiple franchise curses, fans connected the dots instantly.

“Shedeur was 100% Andrew Berry’s guy,” wrote one. “Definitely Berry’s guy. Haslam and Stefanski didn’t want any part of Shedeur,” added another.

“Dillon was Kevin’s guy. Oh how the tables have turned,” wrote a third on X, summing up the irony.

As always, there were the skeptics, who argued that fans are simply overreacting to the hug. “No he wasn’t. Berry was happy for the win but that wasn’t his QB,” argued one.

The reactions were split, but they all centered around a single idea that Shedeur and Berry’s embrace felt bigger than a normal postgame hug.

That said, it will be interesting to see how Stefanski handles his QB1 situation going forward, considering Gabriel is likely to be fit for the clash against the 49ers. So in a way, Sunday’s win only muddied the waters further in the Forest City. Stefanski was also non-committal in his stance after the game when asked who would start next week.

But a scenario like this once again feeds the belief that the head coach and GM have been pulling in different directions and that Shedeur  Sanders may well be the player caught in the middle.

How much of that is true? No one outside the building will ever know. No team would openly admit that the head coach didn’t want a player the GM drafted, especially not after that player just ended two historic losing streaks in a single night.

But for fans desperate for clarity, that moment between Andrew Berry and Shedeur Sanders was perhaps the closest they’ll ever get to an acknowledgement.