Copyright newsweek
History isn’t on the Cleveland Browns‘ side when it comes to what they’ve done at the quarterback position. For the past few years, there have been many examples of that, too. More news: Jets’ Blockbuster Trades Bring Heavy Backlash for Browns Baker Mayfield seemed to be an above-average quarterback, and Cleveland ran him out of town. While Deshaun Watson has had his issues on and off the field with injuries and personal matters, he was also one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL when the Browns landed him. Even in the short term, with Joe Flacco now going to the Cincinnati Bengals and throwing the football at a very high level to some of the top wide receivers in the NFL, it looks like the Browns made a mistake with that trade, too. For the current situation, the Browns have allowed Dillon Gabriel to be the starting quarterback, a decision that doesn’t come as much of a surprise after drafting him higher than Shedeur Sanders. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns passes during the third quarter of an NFL Preseason 2025 game against the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field on August 23, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Rams 19-17. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) However, many believe that Sanders should be the starter, including Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN, who said that organizations ruin quarterbacks. “To me, organizations ruin quarterbacks,” Kiper said, per SI. “You had Baker (Mayfield). Dillon Gabriel was Stefanski’s guy. I don’t care what the league says. I had Shedeur, the No. 1 QB on my board last year. What happened? Nothing happened…they don’t want him.” In Kiper’s defense, it’s somewhat tough to argue against the Browns ‘ quarterback history. More news: Browns Player Gives Up Money Just to Leave Cleveland Sanders has to prove that he’s capable of being a starting quarterback in practice, and only Kevin Stefanski and other decision-makers can really see that every single day. He was decent in the preseason at times, but also struggled in his final preseason game. However, with Gabriel’s struggles in recent weeks, it might be better to allow Sanders to play and hope for the best at this point, if the Browns want to win in the near future. For more on the Browns and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
