Buying or Selling Browns' Hot Takes After Preseason Win vs. Rams

The Cleveland Browns' win over the Los Angeles Rams in their preseason finale was the catalyst for quite a few scorching hot takes.

Aug 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns wrapped up their final 2025 preseason game with a 19-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, moving them to a perfect 3-0 in exhibitions. They ultimately came away with the win, but there was plenty of good and bad from Cleveland throughout the night.

Head Coach Kevin Stefanski got the most complete look at his quarterback rotation of the preseason against LA. Joe Flacco played three series, Dillon Gabriel led two drives, and Shedeur Sanders had five chances at the helm, while Kenny Pickett remained on the sidelines with an ongoing hamstring injury.

Flacco played well, finishing with a sterling 9-of-10 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown. Dillon Gabriel was also impressive with the second-team offense, completing 12-of-19 passes, including an 86-yard two-minute drill to end the first half with a house call for the Browns. Unfortunately, Sanders struggled heavily in his second preseason stint, finishing with just 3-of-6 passing for 14 yards with five sacks for 41 yards lost. Cleveland's overall showing spurred quite a few hot takes.

Which hot takes from Browns vs. Rams should be believed?

Aug 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jamil Muhammad (45) sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

1. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski is sabotaging Shedeur Sanders: Sell

Shedeur Sanders struggled mightily against the Los Angeles Rams and looked starkly different from his showing in his first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. This led some of Sanders' supporters to surmise that the Cleveland Browns and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski were purposefully putting him in a situation to fail, with bad play-calling and poor protection around him.

Sanders surely felt the difference between working alongside the Browns' first-team offense against the Panthers and the third-string against the Rams. However, he was also playing against LA's deep bench defenders. Stefanski is likely coaching for his job this year. It wouldn't make any sense for him to sabotage Sanders — who's also been insinuated to be owner Jimmy Haslam's pick — to prop up Dillon Gabriel and risk getting fired in the process.

Aug 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) warms up before the game between the Browns and the Rams at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

2. Dillon Gabriel is more NFL-ready than Shedeur Sanders: Sell

Yes, Dillon Gabriel played much better against the Rams than Sanders did. However, the edge in their first respective preseason games would likely go to Sanders.

Gabriel could very well be more prepared for the pro game. After all, he played six years of Division-I football in the NCAA to Sanders' two. I'm just not ready to make a definitive statement after two preseason games from each quarterback.

Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (88) on the sideline during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

3. Harold Fannin Jr. is a fantasy sleeper: Buy

The Browns are sorely lacking in offensive playmakers. Behind Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku, they don't have any offensive skill players who have made a consistent impact in the NFL, and even those two have really only had one strong season each.

Browns GM Andrew Berry called TE Harold Fannin Jr. the “queen on the chessboard” after they drafted him.

Fannin catches his first NFL TD lined up like a wide receiver. Cleveland loves his versatility. pic.twitter.com/oDZ2wXVFMD

— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 23, 2025

With Cleveland's lack of depth at receiver, Harold Fannin Jr. could emerge as one of their most reliable targets in the 2025 season. Especially while Flacco is QB1, he could have some sneaky fantasy potential this year.