Tyler Shough is the next quarterback from the 2025 NFL Draft class who will make his NFL debut and it makes you wonder: When will the Cleveland Browns turn to Shedeur Sanders? They have been patient with him to start his NFL career, but at this point, what do they have to lose by turning to him in a season that’s anything but good?
Dillon Gabriel looked like just about as we expected, and through his first four NFL starts is doing enough to make sure he can’t take the blame for why this offense is miserable. His most recent appearance against the New England Patriots proves he’s not the desperate answer Cleveland was looking for under center. To be fair, that doesn’t mean Sanders is either, but if Cleveland plays him now, it’s not like they’re setting themselves up to fail either.
This Browns organization is on the cusp of yet another major rebuild and the sooner they find out what Sanders can offer this offense, the quicker they can find a solution. When the Browns come out of the bye week, they need to consider starting Sanders for a few games. It could ultimately be a win-win situation for them as they try to plan for the 2026 NFL Draft and beyond.
Playing Shedeur Sanders could give the Browns some direction
Within the last 12 months, the Browns lost Deshaun Watson to an Achilles injury, drafted two rookies in the third and fifth round in April, signed Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, before trading Pickett in the preseason. They’ve since traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals as well. No NFL team has quarterback issues like Cleveland.
That said, playing Sanders could help them answer another major question: Does Cleveland have a quarterback problem or a Kevin Stefanski problem? Stefanski has been given a long leash and this season will determine if he’s the right coach or a major organizational change is needed.
Seemingly every quarterback who’s played under Stefanski since Baker Mayfield has struggled, save for Flacco who came to the rescue in the 2023 season. This offense has terrible skill players, but because the offense has played so bad this year, you have to put some of the blame on Stefanski. If Stefanski can’t put together an offensive plan for Sanders to show his potential, I think that’s more on the embattled than it is the rookie.
The Browns have to start finding out some answers before things get worse than they are. Depending on how Sanders plays, it could either answer their question of who their quarterback is or all them to use him as trade bait. Neither of those questions are answered if he doesn't play.
Cleveland has nothing to lose and everything to gain by turning to Shedeur Sanders
The other reason Sanders should get a shot is because all the rookie quarterbacks this year, except for Cam Ward, were eased into the starting job by their respective teams. Jaxson Dart and now Tyler Shough are proof that playing the waiting game can work. Each turned to their rookies when they felt like they had no other option.
We’ll have to see what Shough looks like and Dart seems to be handling his own despite losing two of the New York Giants' biggest weapons. If patience is key to getting the most out of a first-year quarterback then maybe the Browns should follow suit. They eased Gabriel into the starting role and now it’s time to give Sanders a shot too.
We’ve seen with quarterbacks like Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young, throwing them to the wolves isn’t always the best course of action for a rookie quarterback. The Browns have done all the right things with Sanders and now it’s time to see if they have something worth building around or not.
Either he looks good and the Browns can decide how they want to handle him or they have the perfect 'I told you so' moment and avoid waiting until next season to have this epiphany. Maybe Sanders has his Joe Milton III moment and does enough to convince some teams he’s worth trading for. Or maybe he will be a career backup that doesn’t see the field for most of his career.
The Browns won’t know which Sanders they have until they play him, and with their season in disarray, they have nothing to lose by turning to him after the bye week. Yet, they have everything to gain if he somehow outplays Gabriel in his debut.