Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has committed to rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders for the rest of the 2025 season.
Following his breakout performance against the Tennessee Titans — a game in which he threw 364 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 29 yards and another touchdown — Sanders’ star is on the rise.
And while there’s a lot of buzz surrounding Sanders three starts into his NFL career (he’s far outplayed fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who started six games earlier in the season), one of the franchise’s legendary players had some stern words for the Colorado alum as he gears up for a four-game stretch that’s crucial to the trajectory of his NFL career.
During a recent appearance on the “This is Football” podcast, former 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas placed a lot of pressure on Sanders’ shoulders ahead of Cleveland’s Week 14 matchup against the Chicago Bears.
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“These next four games for them, probably the most important four games this franchise has had in 20 years,” Thomas said. “… These four games will determine if Shedeur Sanders is the franchise guy and they build around him in the draft next year, or if they feel like he’s not their franchise quarterback and the two first round draft picks they have in the draft are going to be used somehow, someway on a quarterback.
“What Shedeur does in these next four games, if he continues to show consistent growth, big playmaking ability, that leadership that we saw last week — I think they might say, ‘Hey, we want to give this guy a shot, we want to find another couple weapons to put around him, we want to find a tackle in the draft to help protect him, and we want to give him the opportunity to be the franchise guy moving forward.’”
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Through four appearances, including three starts, Sanders has thrown for 769 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions, and he’s rushed for 50 yards and another score.
As things sit right now, the Browns have the No. 4 and No. 27 overall pick. If Sanders doesn’t show enough to prove the team’s front office that he can be their franchise QB, the team will more than likely take a quarterback early in the 2026 draft.
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