Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said before last week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders that Dillon Gabriel would still be the starting quarterback once he recovers from his concussion. However, after Shedeur Sanders led the team to a big win in his first start, things have changed.
Sanders has earned himself at least another start against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and could hold onto the job for the remainder of the season if he doesn’t falter. After going 11 for 20 for 209 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, he impressed Stefanski in a couple of different ways to help change his mind.
Camryn Justice of WEWS interviewed Stefanski in a preview of Sunday’s game and asked him about Sanders.
Stefanski pointed out two big factors that led to his decision and spoke about what he saw in Sanders that impressed him.
“Obviously, as a quarterback, your No. 1 job is to lead your team to a win. Obviously, there were some big plays in there. To be able to find those chunks, I think was outstanding,” Stefanski said.
There were two major factors that led to #Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski moving forward with Shedeur Sanders as QB1 after last week's game against the Raiders.
He told me about them in this week's Game Preview: pic.twitter.com/TfkmipefGo
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) November 29, 2025
Sanders’ Playmaking Forces Browns To Take A Longer Look
Stefanski specifically highlighted Sanders’ impressive 52-yard deep ball to Isaiah Bond early in the game that set up a short touchdown run from Quinshon Judkins as a high-level throw that represents exactly the kind of explosive playmaking ability he wanted to see. Sanders had three completions longer than any pass Dillon Gabriel completed in his six starts, so it became clear that there was no going back.
This team needs to get an extended look at Sanders ahead of next year’s draft so the front office can determine if it needs to draft another QB.
Perhaps Sanders can keep rattling off wins and make their decision for them.
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