Shedeur Sanders Keeps Progressing, But Browns' Usage Raises Questions
The Cleveland Browns may not be winning many games, but their rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, is quietly putting together a compelling case for himself - even if the game plan hasn’t always been in his favor.
Let’s start with the obvious: Sanders is improving. Week by week, he’s showing more command of the offense, more poise in the pocket, and more flashes of the talent that made him such a talked-about prospect.
But the way he’s being deployed? That’s where things get interesting.
In his first NFL start against the Raiders, Sanders was only asked to throw the ball 20 times. Compare that to Dillon Gabriel’s first start - 33 pass attempts - and it raises an eyebrow.
Especially when you consider that Sanders still outgained Gabriel in passing yards despite the lower volume. That trend continued into Sanders' second start, where he threw just 25 times, while Gabriel was given a whopping 52 attempts in his second outing.
Fast forward to this past Sunday, and the Browns finally opened things up. Sanders aired it out 42 times and delivered 364 passing yards - a breakout performance by any standard. It was the kind of outing that makes you wonder why it took this long for the coaching staff to trust him with that kind of workload.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski, whose postgame explanations have drawn some scrutiny, didn’t offer much clarity after the loss. “Not gonna get into all the specifics, but obviously did not go as we thought it would,” he said. He added, “I’m responsible for all of it,” taking ownership of the team’s continued struggles.
To Sanders’ credit, he didn’t point fingers. “If I’m out there any play, I wish I’d always have the ball in my hands,” he said postgame, showing the kind of leadership you want in a young quarterback - confident, hungry, but not divisive.
The Browns may be racking up losses, but Sanders is stacking up valuable reps. And with performances like Sunday’s, he’s making a strong case that he deserves to be the guy - not just in name, but in game plan. Whether Stefanski and the coaching staff continue to lean into that remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: Shedeur Sanders is trending up, even if the Browns aren’t.