Kevin Stefanski won't admit it, but he regrets not starting Shedeur Sanders sooner

Shedeur Sanders will start the last four games of the season for the Cleveland Browns.

He finally earned an opportunity to start for the team that selected him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft after fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel was sidelined with a concussion.

Sanders has impressed due to his laser-sharp accuracy compared to Gabriel, the quarterback drafted 50 slots ahead of the former Colorado passer. Yet still, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski refused to answer a question about if he regrets the decision to not start Sanders earlier.

“I’m not gonna get into those type of things,” Stefanski said. “Obviously focused on what’s in front of us.”

Stefanski asked if he regrets not playing Shedeur Sanders earlier.

“I’m not gonna get into those type of things. Obviously focused on what’s in front of us.”
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) December 8, 2025

That response is almost proof that Stefanski probably regrets how Cleveland’s quarterback situation was handled this season. If he truly did not regret starting Sanders sooner, the sixth-year head coach could have leaned into the development of the young quarterback on the bench and behind the scenes.

Instead, he chose to sidestep the question completely.

That’s likely because the Browns find themselves with just three wins for a second consecutive season. Of course, not many head coaches survive that sort of sustained losing.

But it was Stefanski who admitted being shocked – and seemed a little miffed – by the Browns decision to trade Week 1 starting quarterback and team captain to the Cincinnati Bengals, even though he was benched in favor of Gabriel.

It’s also widely accepted that Stefanski was a big fan of Gabriel coming out of Oregon. The Browns fell in love with the undersized quarterback’s “computer-like processing ability.” Unfortunately, that did not lead to success on the field, as the top 100 draft pick underwhelmed and struggled to move the football through five starts.

Stefanski only played Sanders because he had to. The quarterback that he wanted suffered a concussion due to being physically overmatched in each game that he would start.

Now, it’s likely up to Sanders to save Stefanski’s job.

During the preseason, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam stated that his team needed to be better than the three victory mark they recorded last season. Through the first 14 weeks of the NFL season, the Browns find themselves with only three wins again and pressure is undoubtedly mounting.

The Browns play the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals before their season concludes. They will likely be underdogs in each of those matchups.

As the great Michael Scott once said, “Well, well, well. How the turntables.”

The tables have certainly turned, as Stefanski’s last hope in Cleveland seems to be Sanders pulling off an upset in some of the remaining games for the Browns this season.

Stefanski started the season with Flacco and replaced him with the rookie that many around the organization believe he hand-selected. Now, it’s up to the once-estranged fifth-rounder to play the savior role after not getting first team reps at practice until three weeks ago.

While Stefanski will never admit it, he almost certainly regrets not putting Sanders on the field sooner.