The Cleveland Browns have decided to stick with Shedeur Sanders as their starting quarterback for Week 13, where they'll face off against the San Francisco 49ers. Sanders, who’s already got a win under his belt as a starter, will be taking the reins again after his solid debut performance.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski made the announcement on Monday afternoon. Interestingly, Stefanski kept quiet about Sanders’ role right after the Browns’ 24-10 victory over the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday, so this news comes fresh.
Stefanski highlighted some of the things he likes about Sanders after his first start, praising his communication skills, how he runs the team on the field, and his ability to throw the deep ball. A standout moment was when Sanders rolled out and connected for a 52-yard pass to rookie Isaiah Bond in the first quarter, marking the Browns' longest pass of the season. Plus, rookie running back Dylan Sampson snagged a 66-yard touchdown on a swing pass in the fourth quarter.
There’s also an update on another rookie QB, Dillon Gabriel, who has cleared concussion protocol. Despite this, the team is sticking with Sanders as the starter. This makes sense since Gabriel only managed to win once in his first five starts and then went down with a concussion late in Week 11’s game against the Ravens.
Gabriel’s injury gave Sanders his chance to shine. It was a tough start in Baltimore, with Sanders completing just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and throwing an interception. But in his first real start, he improved to 11 completions from 20 attempts for 209 yards, adding one touchdown and one interception. Keep in mind, Sanders didn’t get any practice reps with the Browns’ first-team offense all spring, summer, or fall before being thrown into the fire.
This Sunday, Gabriel will be the backup again, but Stefanski says the team isn’t “looking past this week,” showing they’re focused on the upcoming matchup.
Speaking of the 49ers, they’re coming off a game against the Carolina Panthers and have only tallied 12 sacks in 11 games this season, that’s pretty low compared to Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who has an eye-popping 18 sacks, the most any player has had through 11 games.
The 49ers’ struggles with defensive injuries and their lack of pressure put up good odds for Sanders, who got sacked five times in his last preseason game and had trouble with blitzes when he first played in Baltimore.
Against the Raiders, he only took one sack, helped by the game’s flow since the Browns were mostly in control. Stefanski even took a more conservative approach in the second half, turning Sanders into more of a game manager. However, working on how Sanders handles pressure and steps up in the pocket to make those tricky throws is definitely on the coaching staff’s radar going forward.
Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will try to keep things simple for Sanders, keeping him in a comfort zone where he can thrive without feeling overwhelmed. Sanders has shown some real talent improvising on the fly, but the Browns don’t want him to get rattled by constant pressure.
The plan is to keep feeding tight end Harold Fannin Jr., while also taking shots to wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman on the edges.
In general, expect the Browns’ offense to rely heavily on running back Quinshon Judkins and the ground game. Sanders will mostly be throwing on bootlegs and play-action plays. After his impressive first start, Sanders has a big week of practice ahead to build more chemistry with his receivers and get even more in sync with the play callers.
This is an important stretch for the Browns as they gear up to face a tough 49ers defense, and Sanders will need to keep growing and improving every step of the way.