After surviving the biggest fall in the history of the NFL Draft, preseason games, injuries, and even trade rumors, Shedeur Sanders was finally given his opportunity at starting in the National Football League, and it was every bit as chaotic as one would have expected it to be. The Cleveland Browns were able to notch their sixth win since the start of the 2024 regular season and the former Colorado Buffalo became the first Cleveland debutante to start 1-0 since 1999, but according to head coach Kevin Stefanski, there’s plenty of things that need to be addressed prior to Sanders’ second start against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.
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“I’m excited to get that first win under his belt,” Stefanski told the press earlier this week. “The next thing is improvement. That’s what young players do, certainly young quarterbacks do. You get one game better and that’s just from working at it, so that’ll be our focus.”
Apart from him suggesting that there’s “some things we can clean up,” Stefanski seemed to be pleasantly surprised with Sanders’ performance. “There are things that we can clean up. That goes on all of us: the coaches, players, and quarterbacks. We can clean up some of our operations,” Stefanski said about helping Shedeur.
Then again, perhaps that’s the norm when your quarterback totals 209 passing yards and a score while completing just 55% of his passes and turning the ball over.
According to Stefanski, their Week 12 win stands as a testament to the team’s motto of “stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” Now, some might argue that it’s hard for a backup QB to stay prepared when they aren’t seeing any first-team practice reps, but Stefanski seemed to suggest that he’s standing by his initial decision to keep Sanders away from the starters until throughout the first several months.
“The life of a backup player is a grind. You’ve really got to work when nobody is watching. Now, once you do get into that starter role, that’s when the reps come. That’s when the game plan is built around your comfort level.”
Heading into Week 13, the Browns figure to be building their game plan around the comfort level of Sanders. The Colorado product has struggled with pressure in the pocket throughout his career, and Stefanski is expecting teams to continue to blitz him at a high rate.
“Defensive coordinators blitz young quarterbacks, it’s just what they do.” While that will occasionally present Sanders with some big play opportunities, it will also ensure that every Sunday afternoon is a stressful one for the 23 year old.
Nevertheless, a win against the 49ers would go a long way in improving his odds of becoming the full-time starter in 2026, so fans should prepare for yet another roller coaster of emotions on game day.
