Shedeur Sanders “likely” to get start for Browns soon, according to insider

During the Cleveland Browns’ 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel had just 52 pass attempts for 221 yards and no touchdowns. He didn’t throw any interceptions, but he was sacked six times.

It was Gabriel’s second game as the starting quarterback since the Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Gabriel’s move up to the QB1 position put fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders at the QB2 position, but after Sunday, some fans are hoping to see that change.

Shedeur “likely” to see a Browns start...eventually

Despite Gabriel’s poor play, head coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear he was never considering subbing him out for Sanders, saying, “we were just trying to fight there till the end."

Gabriel is a rookie so there is bound to be a learning curve, and Stefanski said the coaching staff is partly to blame.

“He’s a tough kid. We’ve got to keep him clean. Obviously, when the game turns into how it turned a two-score game, you have to drop back, and that’s a tough team to drop back versus,” Stefanski said. “He kept battling. Wasn’t for a lack of effort by him or by anybody. Made some plays, but we just got to be better. I think you learn in every game, win, lose or draw. And obviously, we know this kid’s tough. We know he’s tough. He’s going to keep fighting. We just got to around him, make some plays. We got to coach him up.”

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It seems like the Browns are willing to give Gabriel another shot before writing him off just yet. However, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns “always leaned heavily toward Sanders,” impressed by his progress and arm talent in practice. She expects Sanders to start at some point this season, with the offense tailored to his strengths when that happens.

“When the time comes for Sanders to start a game - and that’s very likely to happen at some point this season - the Browns will maximize his skillset and design it specially around his best traits and the plays he likes best,” Cabot said. “He has an uncanny knack for delivering a catchable ball, and a natural feel for when to put some extra heat on it or loft it over a defender.”

Sanders, for his part, said he’s “overly confident” and ready to play when called upon. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees also praised Sanders’ development, saying the team has seen “constant improvement” from him.

Meanwhile, Gabriel’s performance hasn’t delivered the boost Cleveland hoped for. After a decent debut with 190 yards and two touchdowns, he and the Browns’ offense struggled badly against Pittsburgh, managing only a first-half field goal and fewer than 40 yards of offense for most of the game.

Overall, the quarterback situation in Cleveland appears fluid and Sanders’ chance to start could come sooner rather than later.

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