BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns’ season finale on the Cincinnati Bengals (6-10) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) will mark the seventh and remaining begin of the season for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
The sport additionally serves as the ultimate likelihood for Sanders to go away an enduring impression on the Browns group forward of an offseason that when once more figures to be rife with quarterback questions.
Sanders, although, mentioned he is searching for solely to showcase consistency in his remaining begin of the Browns’ 4-12 season.
“Simply staying constant, taking what they provide me,” Sanders mentioned Wednesday. “At any time when we get off rhythm, get again on rhythm, you realize, get again on monitor. And I feel that is the following a part of my sport I am making an attempt to evolve, is at any time when both we’re stagnant or some adversity comes, with the ability to get again on monitor.”
The Browns are 2-4 since Sanders, the No. 144 general decide in final April’s draft, took over because the starter in Week 12. He has proven flashes, displaying the power to push the ball downfield and turning attainable sacks into optimistic performs. Sanders has additionally made his fair proportion of rookie errors, from unhealthy decision-making on throws to holding on to the ball too lengthy searching for an enormous play.
In his six begins this season, Sanders ranks twenty eighth out of 29 qualifying quarterbacks in Whole QBR (25.2). Throughout that time-frame, he has thrown seven touchdowns to seven interceptions, the latter of which is probably the most within the NFL.
Sanders’ common time to throw (3.22 seconds) trails solely San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy (3.24 seconds), however he has additionally needed to drop again behind a makeshift offensive line that has just one Week 1 starter — left guard Joel Bitonio — remaining within the lineup. Sanders has been pressured on 44.1% of his dropbacks, which trails solely Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert (44.6%).
The Browns’ Week 17 win towards the Pittsburgh Steelers was a microcosm of Sanders’ time because the Browns’ beginning quarterback. Sanders accomplished 17 of 23 passes for 186 yards with one landing and two interceptions within the 13-6 victory, and the opening stretch of the sport was among the best sequences from Sanders this season.
He accomplished 10 of his first 13 passes for 156 yards and one landing by way of the primary 20 minutes of the primary half. On his 14th try, although, Sanders was hit from his blind facet whereas making an attempt a cross, which ricocheted off a helmet, and was intercepted. Sanders then made a poor determination early within the fourth quarter and was intercepted whereas throwing throughout his physique. The Browns’ offense stalled within the second half, scoring three factors after halftime.
“I bought to have the ability to take the correct, essential threat,” Sanders mentioned. “And even everytime you undergo your progressions and the checkdown is not there, then what? In order that’s sort of the place I really feel just like the strides have been constituted of attending to the reads, attending to the checkdown. Now, the largest soar I will say for me, is I plan on displaying and plan on bettering is when there isn’t any play and I am unable to get out of it, I am unable to run — what I will do with the ball.”
Regardless of Sanders’ ups and downs, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has seen week-to-week enchancment from the rookie quarterback.
“Proceed to construct, proceed to construct on the issues that he is doing rather well,” Stefanski mentioned of Sanders. “Like I’ve informed you guys, there’s issues that you just ask him to enhance upon every week, and he is diligent about these issues. So it is simply bettering after which profitable. We talked about that final week. We wish to win as a soccer staff, clearly, as quarterbacks, we get judged oftentimes on wins and losses, and it is vital, you realize, to complete robust. So that is what he will try to put this staff ready to go win.”
As uncertainty surrounds the way forward for Stefanski, so does that of Sanders because the Browns’ franchise quarterback. Cleveland’s win towards the Steelers was a victory that would have main draft implications and alter the trail of the Browns’ offseason; it moved the staff out of the within monitor for a top-two decide within the 2026 NFL draft (a decide that may very well be used on a quarterback).
Deshaun Watson, who didn’t play this season as he rehabbed final season’s Achilles tear, is reportedly set to return to Cleveland in 2026. And third-round decide Dillon Gabriel, who began six consecutive video games earlier than sustaining a concussion in Week 11, remains to be beneath contract.
“I am unable to take into consideration what different individuals’s opinion or what they view me as,” Sanders mentioned when requested if he has proven he could be a franchise quarterback. “I do know the groups that we go towards, I do know they positively respect me within the passing sport, for certain, however I am unable to be accountable for someone else’s choices.”
