Shedeur Sanders Forced To Confront Tough Reality As Kevin Stefanski & Browns Make Desperate QB Decision

After months of cramming the playbook late at night and days of putting those learnings into practice, Shedeur Sanders impressed the Cleveland fans until the preseason finale against the LA Rams. With Kenny Pickett traded, HC Kevin Stefanski bumped Sanders to the QB3 spot. However, he was still behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. That pecking order, though, is not fixed. As a part of the 53-man roster, Sanders just might have chances to prove himself in the regular season. But in the NFL, as much as luck can turn for the good, it can also break a player.

Reports revealed that the Browns are already planning for the next draft, and insider Mary Kay Cabot’s words are only adding to the QB rookies’ possibly impending threat. Appearing on 92.3 The Fan FM with Andy Baskin and Jeff Phelps, Cabot was asked about Cleveland’s activities in scouting during college football games. Sharing her analysis, Cabot responded, “Absolutely. Every time these top quarterbacks are gonna be playing around the country, the Browns will be there in some form or fashion. They will be represented in all of these games.

“It’s vitally important that they come out of the 2026 draft with their quarterback of the future unless, of course, Dillon Gabriel establishes that he is there sure-fire, 100%, can’t-miss guy this year. That might be tough to do that, unless he has a lot of playing time in a lot of games and a lot of data. So, they are going to be criss-crossing the country looking at all of these quarterbacks and trying to determine the best course of action in 2026.” 

Next year, the Cleveland Browns have two picks in the first round of the NFL draft. Unlike this season, when they picked Gabriel in round 3 and Sanders in round 5, they might bring in a QB in the earlier rounds with enough talent to not just replace veterans and the current rookies but also become the franchise QB.

Already, whispers are making rounds that Jimmy Haslam’s connection to Peyton Manning from their Tennessee days can bring Arch Manning into the fold. While we don’t know when that will happen, names like these remain a threat to both Sanders and Gabriel. But Cabot had a reality check to give even in that case.

When host Andy Baskin further asked about the pressure the front office’s future planning puts on the current players, Cabot plainly answered, “Well, competition always brings out the best in everyone. No matter where you’re at in the NFL, there’s always going to be someone pressing you. These guys should just get used to that, because that’s the name of the game in the NFL. There’s always someone that’s right behind you, ready to take your job. And it’s just the tension of the NFL.”

Cabot’s words cut deeper than just camp chatter. They frame what the Browns have already set in motion: an active search for their next franchise quarterback. Multiple reports confirm that Cleveland has deployed scouts to almost every marquee college football game this fall. The strategy shows how long the Browns have been trapped in QB purgatory and how much they want to get out of it.

For Sanders, especially, that looming uncertainty might be suffocating. Believing in his work, though, he stated, “I think overall as a player, I feel like I’ve put in the work. I feel like everything I do, I try to do it to my best, and that’s all you can ask for.” It’s the right mindset, but in a league where every snap is dissected, effort won’t be enough. Sanders will need to deliver his A-game every single time he touches the field. As of now, he remains the third-string QB behind Gabriel and Joe Flacco, looking for his one chance.