Kevin Stefanski was shockingly noncommittal about naming Shedeur Sanders as QB2 after the Joe Flacco trade. In fact, the head coach admitted he is considering naming practice squad QB Bailey Zappe as the backup, reasoning that he wants Shedeur to have a full week of practice and a specific game plan oriented around him before getting involved.
Advertisement
In light of this, fans of Shedeur are not happy. They’re tired of the constant excuses for why he isn’t being given a chance to even try it out. Even NFL analysts are beginning to grow puzzled by the ordeal, as they question why Stefanski would avoid naming Sanders the backup when he’s quite literally the only other QB on the active roster.
One of those analysts was former player Ryan Clark, who went on a tirade about Stefanski, saying that the head coach at least needs to have a plan he’s willing to share with the media regarding what he wants to do with Shedeur.
“You have to understand, with Shedeur Sanders, is going to come more media attention, more scrutiny. He’s going to be treated unlike anything else in that locker room,” Clark pointed out on First Take.
“You’re going to have to answer questions about him, which is why you need answers prepared. If he’s still figuring it out, which he should be, which he is, then give them a reason why,” added the former safety.
It was an excellent point made by Clark. Stefanski and the Browns had to know the caliber of player that they were taking on when they drafted Shedeur. This is a guy who walked into the rookie minicamp facility while livestreaming with thousands of viewers watching. He’s not your traditional 5th round pick. Shedeur has hype around him, and many believe that he was colluded against during the NFL Draft process.
Clark also believes that the Browns should part ways with Shedeur if things continue in this manner.
“If he is not named the backup quarterback, it’s time to part ways. It’s time to trade him. It’s time to get him out of your locker room. Because, clearly, your plan for development is not to develop Shedeur Sanders as a future starter of your team. And too much comes with him if you don’t see that sort of plan for him,” Clark professed.
This makes very much sense, too. After all, the Las Vegas Raiders must be regretting the decision to move forward with Geno Smith, Kenny Pickett, and Aiden O’Connell. Not to mention the Baltimore Ravens look like they could use a better backup option while Lamar Jackson is injured. The same goes for the Cincinnati Bengals, but they just made their bet by trading for Flacco.
“If [Shedeur Sanders] is not named the backup quarterback, it’s time to part ways. … Too much comes with him if you don’t see that sort of plan for him.”@Realrclark25 shares his thoughts on Kevin Stefanski and the Browns ✍️ pic.twitter.com/7nMuuh5Tug
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 9, 2025
All in all, it’s super unlikely that the Browns heed Clark’s advice and move on from Shedeur anytime soon.
Stefanski came out in the same press conference and mentioned that they still plan for the fifth-round rookie to start at some point this season. That’s not exactly the biggest vote of confidence in Dillon Gabriel. But it shows that the team is prioritizing Shedeur’s development and that they don’t want to recklessly throw him into the fold.
