There’s no confusion inside Cleveland’s building. Kevin Stefanski runs a notoriously structured offense that demands quick reads, timing routes, and absolute efficiency. What he doesn’t do is manage distractions, and Shedeur Sanders, through no fault of his own, arrived with more of that than the Browns expected. Not just from his name, but from how he carried it through the pre-draft process. According to an AFC personnel executive who spoke with Pro Football Talk, “Shedeur treated the draft like he was being recruited, not interviewed. That rubbed a few teams the wrong way.”
The Browns were one of them… Until they saw him falling deep into Day 3. They could have let him fall. Jimmy Haslam wasn’t in on the Shedeur plan, but Berry saw something in the kid, and maybe Kevin’s convinced, too. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote: “Despite Sanders being a fifth-round pick, Stefanski said he will get an opportunity to compete to be QB1 for a franchise that used four different passers last season.”
So, with that, let’s talk about the complicated Browns’ QB room because that’s telling a whole different story. More like, Kevin doesn’t have a place for Shedeur Sanders kinda story.
By the time Sanders went off the board at No. 144, Cleveland had already spent pick No. 94 on Dillon Gabriel. That was their quarterback target. Not a hedge. They were “very high on Dillon,” per Jeremy Fowler. “They loved how he plays the position. Smaller frame, but he processes fast. He fits them.”
Now, this is where the whole theory of a trade comes into picture beacuse Gabriel fits. Sanders doesn’t. That’s the crux of it. The Browns now have five quarterbacks on the roster: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Gabriel, Shedeur, and a rehabbing Deshaun Watson. Four is a crowd. Five is untenable. By the time the roster trims from 90 to 53, two of them will be gone.
Sanders wasn’t even plan A. Or B. Meanwhile, Stefanski’s been consistent about his quarterback philosophy: win the pocket, stay ahead of schedule, and above all, avoid unnecessary drama. That’s why he reportedly pushed for Pickett—a safe veteran reclamation project with starting experience. That’s why Gabriel was drafted—system-fit, coachable, and more importantly, Cleveland’s deliberate target.
Shedeur? He was a luxury. An opportunistic grab made when value intersected with curiosity. That only buys so much time. Fowler put it perfectly, when he said, “The Browns look at the roster as currency. So, maybe they showcase someone in the preseason, then flip them.”
Gabriel cost them a third-round pick. Pickett cost multiple Day 3 selections in a trade. Sanders? A fifth-rounder petty pick. If they move on from that, they lose little. If they trade him after a few highlight throws in preseason, they gain everything. Cap room, clarity, and maybe even a late-round pick in 2026. Because for a franchise who needs a branding #legendary as well as the Sanders name would bring that.
Long story short: Stefanski isn’t running a quarterback orphanage. He’s trying to win in the AFC North. And after the Deshaun Watson mess—a $230 million gamble that blew up both financially and functionally—this regime has no appetite for another media-driven sideshow.
If a Shedeur Sanders goodbye is to happen, it won’t be the first
Let’s not kid ourselves: this ain’t the first time a quarterback’s been drafted late, hyped up, and then left on the tarmac before training camp even got rolling. Meanwhile, the Browns OTAs are not far away. May 27-28, June 3-4, and June 6, wrapping up with a mandatory veteran minicamp from June 10-12. So, is Shedeur Sanders already getting the pass? Well, for the upcoming rookie camp, yes. The rest? God’s Plan…
Andrew Berry basically told us without telling us. “We didn’t expect him to be available,” he said, when asked about drafting Sanders. What does that even mean? And that whole “we like adding competition” line? Classic GM code for “this pick won’t break us if it flames out.” If Shedeur’s story ends early, it won’t be unprecedented. Actually, it fits a pattern.
Take Spencer Rattler, for instance. The Patriots drafted him in the sixth round in 2024, then ghosted him before mandatory camp. Why? Crowded QB room. No security. No promises. He became roster filler with a short shelf life. Or remember Danny Etling in 2023? The Raiders brought in Hoyer, drafted O’Connell, and still grabbed Etling off waivers—only to kick him to the curb before things even got serious. Again, too many QBs. Someone had to go.
Chris Oladokun? Drafted by the Steelers in 2022, never saw daylight. Didn’t get reps. Didn’t get a shot. Cut before he could even grab a camp towel. Same play in Tampa. In 2021, the Buccaneers brought in Kyle Trask and sent Ryan Griffin packing before camp. Why? Fewer arms, more reps for the guy they actually cared about.
It’s a cold world for late-round QBs. Especially when there’s no clear development track. History says guys like Sanders usually don’t make it to August. So if Cleveland moves on? Don’t act shocked. That’s just the league doing what it’s always done. Now the question is… does Shedeur beat the history books? Well, that’d be legendary.
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