Even after rookie Shedeur Sanders won his first career NFL start in relief of the injured Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski insisted the team would go week-to-week at the quarterback position.
It wasn’t until Dec. 8, the day after Sanders’ 364-yard, four-touchdown performance at home against the Tennessee Titans, that Stefanski officially named Sanders the starter for the remainder of this 2025 season.
As usual with the Browns, it was a painful process to get to this point, but it does make a lot of sense. Gabriel, the team’s third-round draft pick this year, essentially got a six-start audition. When all’s said and done, the team will have a seven-game sample size with Sanders as the starter to evaluate during the offseason.
Even if the Browns get pummeled in Sunday’s home game against the Buffalo Bills — an unfortunate reality given Cleveland’s ongoing rash of injuries, and reigning MVP Josh Allen coming to town — Sanders’ job figures to be safe. Live game reps for a young QB who has shown growth and promise should supersede the scoreboard for a team that sits fourth-to-last in the NFL standings.
Still, Stefanski can’t help himself. There’s been a major elephant in the room over these past few weeks, and instead of just squashing the one storyline that incites Browns fans on a daily basis, the head coach just refuses to close the door on Deshaun Watson in 2025.
Kevin Stefanski keeps feeding the Deshaun Watson fire — and Browns fans feel it
The chances of Watson actually playing football for the Browns in 2025 are slim-to-none. He had his practice window opened on Dec. 3, but has yet to log a full session with the team; he was listed as a limited participant on all three practice reports this week, and was officially ruled out for the Bills game, meaning he’ll remain on injured reserve for at least another week.
The Browns have a looming roster decision to make with Watson, whose 21-day practice window is set to close. Cleveland will have to decide whether to activate him off IR and onto the active roster, or decline that option and officially shut him down for the final two weeks of the season.
Stefanski had multiple chances to end the Watson madness this week via the local media. He instead chose to continue tormenting fans by leaving the door wide open.
“I’m very, very pleased with the progress that Deshaun’s making on the field, in the classroom. He’s doing a really, really good job,” Stefanski said on Monday, adding later in the week: “I think we’ll make a decision on that when the window closes, which I think is next week.”
Why would Stefanski and the Browns even consider activating Watson, after already naming Sanders the starter for the rest of 2025? Really, it comes down to reps.
Players on injured reserve are prohibited from participating in organized team activities, outside of the 21-day practice window. In theory, the Browns could activate Watson as their emergency QB3, which would allow him to continue to practice and build momentum toward a potential return to the field in 2026; activating him next week doesn't mean he'll ever see the field (it does give him an outside chance, though).
The decision’s further complicated by a fanbase who wants Watson gone, and a young QB in Sanders who will undoubtedly face a media circus with the team’s $230 million “investment” suddenly breathing down his neck.
This one feels pretty straightforward. If Watson’s not getting first-team reps anyway, he’s not losing much ground from sitting out the final two weeks. He’s on track to get a full offseason, assuming he remains on the roster, and he’s no longer the future of the franchise anyway; the franchise’s No. 1 priority for 2026 is to successfully transition away from one of the biggest trade and contract blunders in NFL history.
It all comes back to Stefanski. He could’ve extinguished this whole conversation.
Why he and team brass would continue to feed the fire with gasoline makes little to no sense.