We should never get too far ahead ourselves with a fifth-round rookie quarterback, but given his current extended opportunity, Week 14 affords Shedeur Sanders the chance to define (or destroy) his chances of being the Cleveland Browns’ QB1 of the future.
With Tennessee Titans cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis officially ruled out with an Achilles injury, Sanders and the Browns’ passing game should have opportunities Sunday against one of the worst coverage units in football in terms of EPA per play (27th). If anything, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees could be compelled to take the training wheels off, go a little less run-heavy in the game plan, and allow Sanders to showcase what he can do — for better or worse.
Over their last three games, the Browns have attempted the NFL’s second-fewest number of pass attempts, at 24.0 per game, per Team Rankings. It’s no coincidence that Sanders has been under center for the majority of those games, since taking over at halftime for the injured Dillion Gabriel against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11. Still, it’s a wildly-low number for an offense that tends to be trailing no matter the opponent.
If the Browns truly want to evaluate Sanders, Sunday represents a now-or-never moment against a Titans team that’s 0-7 at home this season. But Browns fans still shouldn’t bank on head coach Kevin Stefanski and company ditching their usual cautious approach on offense.
Sanders could be managing his most telling test yet on Sunday — and it has nothing to do with the defense he's facing.
Constant changes to the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line has been a major problem in 2025
The Browns finally found some stability up front after trading for left tackle Cam Robinson at the end of September. It wasn’t until Week 8, though, that their starting five of Robinson, left guard Joel Bitonio, center Ethan Pocic, right guard Wyatt Teller, and right tackle Jack Conklin began starting together on a weekly basis.
Stefanski signaled change in last week’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers when he began rotating both Teller and Teven Jenkins at right guard. Now, with Teller nursing a calf injury, and Conklin also ruled out for the game with a concussion, the Browns are expected to roll with 2024 seventh-round pick KT Leveston at right tackle, with Jenkins getting the start at guard.
In terms of pass protection, Sanders should definitely have his antenna up during Sunday’s game. Leveston is tied for the team lead in sacks allowed with five this season, per Pro Football Focus, while also allowing the fifth-most pressures with 20; those numbers are even more concerning when you consider Leveston’s only logged 357 offensive snaps this year.
Robinson’s pass blocking reps on the left side are nearly identical to Leveston, with five sacks and 20 pressures allowed in 400 snaps since logging his first start with Cleveland back in Week 6.
For a quarterback like Sanders who likes to hold onto the football and seek out big plays, Sunday’s game against the lowly Titans could prove more problematic than Browns fans expect.
The answer could be more quick-game… and more of those all-too-familiar, run-heavy game scripts. Even against a burnable opponent, it all adds up to an intriguing test for Sanders as he tries to buy himself more time as the Browns’ starter.