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Jul 23, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talks to the media during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns Surely Expected This Media Circus, Right?

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 8:09 AM ET

When the Cleveland Browns decided to trade up and select Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL Draft this past April, they had to know what they were getting themselves into.

After all, the Browns had literally just taken fellow quarterback Dillon Gabriel two rounds earlier, even though Sanders was unanimously viewed as the superior prospect by fans and media pundits.

Obviously, the 32 teams in the NFL were not in agreement when it came to Sanders, and it may not have necessarily been because of his skill level. It may have been because of exactly what we are witnessing now after Cleveland's final preseason game.

Sanders is clearly fourth on the Browns' quarterback depth chart. Joe Flacco is the starter, Kenny Pickett seems to be the No. 2, and it's obvious that Gabriel is being prioritized ahead of Sanders. At least for now. For some reason, keeping four signal-callers seems inevitable for Cleveland. Why? Well, that's something you'll have to ask Andrew Berry and the front office.

But during the Browns' last exhibition game, a 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Kevin Stefanski decided to pull Sanders — who had gone 3-for-16 with 14 yards in relief of both Flacco and Gabriel — in favor of Tyler Huntley for the final drive of the game.

As you would expect, social media erupted, headlined by Skip Bayless embarking on a nearly 17-minute long tirade urging Sanders to get out of Cleveland (as if Sanders actually has much of a choice in the matter as a fifth-round pick).

The Browns had to know this would happen

Honestly, the overall ire was probably understandable in reality. Huntley is not making the Browns' roster. Meanwhile, Sanders may have a chance to become the franchise quarterback at some point. But why are people expecting a Day 3 pick to be treated like a No. 1 overall selection?

Cleveland should have expected this, though. The Browns knew about the media buzz that Sanders generates when they drafted him. Surely, they were prepared for this. How they handle it remains to be seen, but to their credit, they don't really seem to care about the outside noise right now.

Did Cleveland make a mistake taking two quarterbacks? Probably. Either the Browns should have never drafted Gabriel, or they should have just avoided Sanders. Given that they clearly liked the former, the latter is probably more appropriate.

Cleveland went 3-14 last season. The last thing the Browns needed was an absolute media circus, which is exactly what they are getting now. The old adage says that no publicity is bad publicity, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Ths isn't desirable for Cleveland. At all.

But the Browns had to anticipate this would happen, and if they didn't, shame on them. The Sanders brand is strong, and removing him from the game in favor of a journeyman was never going to go over well. Heck, pulling Gabriel for Huntley would have raised some eyebrows. Sanders? Forget about it.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Cleveland manages moving forward and how it juggles its quarterback situation throughout the year. If the Browns seriously decide to keep all four quarterbacks (and it looks like they will), this is going to create quite a mess. One that people like Bayless will have an absolute field day with.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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