Rookie Shedeur Sanders reportedly has a chance to remain the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback for the rest of the 2025 season.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns are “open to giving Sanders an extended look for the rest of the season” as long as his play is deserving of that distinction.
Sanders made the first regular-season start of his career last week, leading the Browns to a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
A fifth-round pick out of Colorado, Sanders opened the season as the Browns’ third-string quarterback, but numerous events moved him up to the starting role.
First, Joe Flacco was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, which opened the door for rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel to become the new starter.
Gabriel entered concussion protocol in Week 11 during a game against the Baltimore Ravens. Sanders entered the game with the Browns leading 16-10, and he played the entire second half, but he largely struggled en route to a 23-16 Cleveland loss.
With Gabriel not cleared to play in Week 12, Sanders was tabbed for his first start, and he went 11-of-20 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Much of that production was thanks to a swing pass to rookie running back Dylan Sampson, who took it 66 yards for a score, but Sanders did make some impressive throws down the field to Jerry Jeudy and Isaiah Bond for gains of 39 and 52 yards, respectively.
While Gabriel has since cleared concussion protocol, Sanders will get his second start Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
Per Schefter, the Browns were “impressed” with Sanders’ performance last week, citing “his playmaking skills, his aggressive downfield throws, his ability to buy time and push the ball down the field.”
Given that the Browns are only 3-8, they are essentially out of playoff contention barring a miracle, so they are mostly playing for next season.
They have to determine if one of the quarterbacks currently on their roster can be the long-term answer, or if they have to take a quarterback early in the 2026 NFL draft.
Gabriel made six starts, going 1-5, while completing 59.2 percent of his passes for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
If Sanders starts for the rest of the season, he will finish with seven starts, which would give the Browns a significant sample size by which to evaluate both of their rookie quarterbacks.
