“I’ll let the week play out and make a decision later,” Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday when asked whether Shedeur Sanders is now Cleveland’s QB2. The Browns (1-4 for the season), who are without Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, earlier named Dillon Gabriel as the starting QB for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
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Naturally, anyone would argue that Shedeur, who was the QB3 on the roster, would now become the No. 2 quarterback. But, as per reports, Stefanski would like to assess both Bailey Zappe and Shedeur ahead of the Dolphins’ game on October 19.
However, Zappe’s last three starts have been discouraging. He had a 50.6% completion rate, 155.7 yards per game, seven interceptions, and a 36.9 passer rating in them. In comparison, Shedeur did quite well in the first two preseason games before his injury. So, analyst Skip Bayless, who has always backed Shedeur since he fell to the sixth round (144th pick) in the 2025 NFL Draft, reserved some harsh words for the Browns’ head coach.
“You know, I am not objective about this. This was hitting bottom yesterday. This is all-time shameful on the part of Kevin Stefanski. This was Kevin Stefanski pretty much declaring a public war on Shedeur — at least a cold war on Shedeur — because he won’t even say Shedeur’s name in those interview sessions,” Skip said on the daily podcast, The Arena.
Ever since Shedeur lost the QB2 spot to Gabriel (when Flacco was present), the former Colorado star has given up his Wednesday off-days to train harder. Additionally, he has stopped filming his show, The Legendary Podcast. This came after reports emerged that one of the reasons GMs and HCs overlooked him in the draft was that they wanted the team to have more privacy.
However, Stefanski doesn’t seem to be swayed by any of the changes Sanders has made or the hard work the quarterback has put in. Bayless then highlighted the Bill Parcells-Terrell Owens fallout at the Dallas Cowboys in 2006 to explain why he thinks Shedeur is being disrespected by the Browns HC.
“It’s like Parcells when T.O. was there. He wouldn’t even call his name; he just called him ‘the player.’ Remember that?” Skip asked, before questioning why Shedeur is not the No. 2 QB. “Every time he’s asked about Shedeur, he plays dodgeball with a bunch of non-answers. And Flacco’s now gone, Kenny Pickett is now gone. Just acknowledge that Shedeur moved up a spot,” he argued.
Amid all the debate, Shedeur admitted that he is “working with” Dillon Gabriel to ensure a positive locker room environment. After all, the Browns, who are fourth in the AFC North, require at least six more wins. Especially for Stefanski to save his job after back-to-back disappointing seasons.
