The Cleveland Browns got blown out by the Patriots this weekend and rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel didn't play very well in the loss. With Gabriel's lackluster performance, everyone knows what the talking heads are going to want to know -- When will it be Shedeur Sanders' turn to get a shot running the offense?
Head coach Kevin Stefanski is used to fielding questions about Sanders and gave the best possible responsible about why the fifth-round rookie isn't in the plans anytime soon. When asked that very question, Stefanski simply responded, "My focus is where we are right now. That's not my focus."
Stefanski on Shedeur Sanders
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) October 27, 2025
“He came in Saturday with his back injury. Put him through his warmup and just didn’t feel like he was ready to play Sunday. He’s getting better.”
Why not play him soon?
“My focus is where we are right now. That’s not my focus.”
This is the best way for Stefanski to respond. His team is 2-6 and at the bottom of the AFC North after the Ravens got their first win in over a month. Stefanski is focused on his team performing better rather than when Sanders is going to take the field.
Kevin Stefanski quickly ends Shedeur Sanders speculation
It has to be frustrating for Stefanski to continue fielding questions about Sanders when there are other things to talk about but the Browns put themselves in this situation so it's hard to feel too bad for them. They chose to draft the controversial Colorado quarterback knowing the media circus he came with and, well, look at what's happening. It's all people want to talk about.
The Browns pivoted to Dillon Gabriel about a month ago and the third-round rookie quarterback has made four starts now with mixed results. It hasn't all been on Gabriel though, of course, and it probably doesn't help the young signal-caller that he has the most-talked about prospect in this year's draft sitting behind him on the bench.
When asked about Sanders following the loss to New England, Stefanski had said the team was going to look at everything. When asked a follow-up about the quarterback position, Stefanski put his foot down on sticking with Gabriel saying that young quarterbacks have their fair share of ups and downs. It seemed like for a second, he was saying he was open to putting Sanders in, then after realizing what he had suggested, he backtracked and reversed course.
It's a unique situation to be in, having two rookie quarterbacks as the starter and the backup but the Browns put themselves in this exact position. Not only did they draft both guys but they traded away Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco, leaving them with these two guys as the only options for them to turn to.
As expected, it's been quite the bleep show. We'll have to see when Stefanski changes his tune and decides to make the switch from Gabriel to Sanders but right now, it appears that Gabriel's job as the starting quarterback is safe.