Shedeur to remain starter as Gabriel exits concussion protocol
The Cleveland Browns are sticking with quarterback Shedeur Sanders as their starter for Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Monday.
Previous starter Dillon Gabriel has exited the concussion protocol, though the Browns are moving ahead with Sanders, who won his first start against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Sanders finished with 11 completions on 20 attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He said postgame: "A lot of people want to see me fail and it ain't going to happen."
The son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was thrown into game action for the first time when Gabriel exited Week 11's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion. Shedeur had never previously practiced or played with the first-team offense and struggled to the tune of four completions and an interception on 16 attempts.
Stefanski said he's eager to see Sanders' progress.
"Number one job of a quarterback is to win, so (I'm) excited to get that first win under his belt," Stefanski said. "Next thing is improvement, and that's what young players do, certainly, young quarterbacks do. You get one game better and that's just from working at it."
A fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after a shocking slide, Sanders started the preseason as the fourth passer on the Browns' depth chart before climbing his way up.
Cleveland is 3-8, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the worst record in the AFC North.