It didn't take long for Shedeur Sanders to prove a whole lot of people wrong. After struggling in his NFL debut off the bench, the former Colorado QB has gotten better every single week. Following his brilliant - albeit in defeat - performance on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns finally made the call they've been so reluctant to make.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanksi told reporters on Monday that Sanders will be the starting QB for the remainder of the season for Cleveland:
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski says Shedeur Sanders will start rest of season. pic.twitter.com/ThYtIPrY9L
— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2025
Shedeur Sanders named Browns starter for rest of season
Sanders got his opportunity in the wake of a concussion for Dillon Gabriel that kept him out for a week, but even with Gabriel back healthy, Sanders has officially supplanted him as the more promising rookie in Cleveland.
He's far from a finished product, but Sanders has brought hope to a franchise in desperate need of stability at the QB position. Against the Titans, the rookie put together his best performance to date, throwing for 364 yards with four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). The Browns suffered a two-point loss thanks to a couple of ill-fated two-point conversion calls by Stefanski, but it was the high-level QB play that has not been seen often in Cleveland.
The Browns were left with no choice. They might have favored Gabriel during the draft process, and they certainly poured more into him in Training Camp and Preseason, but Sanders has flashed the promise that once made so many convinced that he was a Top 10 prospect in the 2026 draft class.
He slipped to the fift round, where the Browns may have inadvertently found their quarterback of the future.
The Browns have four games remaining where Sanders will look to further state his case as the franchise QB. It's a good opportunity for the organization to get as good of a look as they can at Sanders to determine whether he can be the guy moving forward or if they should target another quarterback in the 2026 draft.
Sanders has steadily gotten better week by week with first-team reps. Imagine what he might look like after a full offseason of work knowing that he's the starting QB.