It’s time to ask a real question about Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders after Kevin Stefanski’s latest deflection
The Browns are going to play the rookie at some point, it’s a matter of when.
Week 10 is one the Cleveland Browns are going to want to put behind them. With two weeks to prepare for the New York Jets, the Browns came out of their bye week and lost by a score of 27-20. There aren’t many games this season where Cleveland will be favored, and this was one of them.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski made the decision during the bye week to hand offensive play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Cleveland managed to score 20 points for just the second time this season, but the offense was still far too ineffective against New York. Both of the Browns’ touchdowns came through the air from rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but it was another rough outing for the third-round pick.
Gabriel completed just 17 of 32 passes for 167 yards without a turnover. It marked yet another game where he failed to eclipse 200 yards passing — a feat he’s accomplished only once in his five starts, when he threw for 221 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gabriel missed on several throws, leaving some short while sailing others, and he was sacked six times by the Jets. While the offensive line continues to struggle, Gabriel deserves blame for taking several of those sacks himself, including two on fourth down.
Kevin Stefanski’s deflection of a Shedeur Sanders question could point to him simply not being ready
When asked about when he thought the Browns might be ready to give their other rookie quarterback a shot, Stefanski once again deflected. The Browns gave Joe Flacco just four games as the starter, and while the turnovers were costly, the passing game wasn’t any worse than it is now. Cleveland has incentive to play its third-round rookie over the aging veteran, but Gabriel has now had five starts with little sign of improvement. The same mistakes he made in his debut are still showing up.
“I don’t think it’s fair to speculate,” Stefanski said Monday when asked about Sanders’ potential playing time. “We’re committed to getting better as an offense. Dillon [Gabriel] is certainly committed to improving in every way he can. And all the while, our young players are developing and working hard behind the scenes to make sure they’re improving on a daily basis.”
Sanders, a fifth-round pick just two rounds after Gabriel, flashed some promise in the preseason, throwing two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. There’s no doubt jobs are on the line in Cleveland after another disappointing year following last season’s 3-14 finish. Stefanski’s reluctance to play Sanders, even after Gabriel’s continued struggles, raises the question: just how far behind is Sanders in his development? Sanders currently serves as the Browns’ backup, meaning he’s only a play away from seeing the field. The coaching staff sees him every day in practice, and the fact that they haven’t made another quarterback change suggests Sanders is still quite a bit behind Gabriel. With jobs on the line, it would be bizarre for the Browns not to play the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win, unless they truly believe Sanders isn’t ready.
As the Browns head down the stretch of the regular season, they’ll eventually need to give Sanders a run of games to see what he can do. Cleveland holds two first-round picks next year, and one of them seems destined to be spent on a quarterback unless Sanders can pull off the unlikely and prove he can be the franchise guy. Gabriel hasn’t shown enough through five games to secure that role, and while he could still develop over time, the Browns should be focused on winning football games — not on forcing growth from a struggling rookie. At this point, the only logical reason Cleveland continues to start Gabriel is that Shedeur Sanders simply isn’t ready yet.
Cleveland Browns News
Browns’ rival makes decision that brings up painful reminder to fans about past mistake the team made in free agency
The former starter for the Browns is moving on.
