Feb 1, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Radio personality Colin Cowherd broadcasts on radio row at the Moscone Center in advance of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

Colin Cowherd Makes Prediction for When Shedeur Sanders Will Start for Browns

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Spencer German | Last updated May 16, 2025 4:00 PM ET

With the official release of the Cleveland Browns schedule, everyone is making predictions about how many wins they'll have in 2025.

That's not all people are trying to figure out about the Browns upcoming campaign, though. With a weirdly structured quarterback room that includes 41-year-old Joe Flacco, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland is poised to have multiple QBs start throughout the season.

Sanders specifically is the big headliner that NFL fans will be waiting to see. Colin Cowherd, host of The Herd ad some thoughts on when he believes Sanders will make his first start this fall.

"This is an ownership group that likes headlines at quarterback." Cowherd said on Thursday. "My guess is Joe Flacco wins the starting job ... after they start 0-4, 1-3 the owner's gonna say 'that's what I want' and the staff's gonna say 'give us one more week, let's not start him in London.

If Flacco loses that game, my guess is Shedeur starts Oct. 12 against the Steelers. But if Flacco does beat Minnesota I think he would also beat Pittsburgh and then he'd lose the next two, bye week, let's go with the kid (Nov. 9 against the Jets).

"This is an ownership group that likes headlines at quarterback."@ColinCowherd gives his prediction for when Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL start. pic.twitter.com/SLuC6KkQmd
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 15, 2025

It's an interesting thought from Cowherd on how the QB situation could play out for the Browns this season. Bye weeks have often become a natural point for teams to make a QB change if they're so inclined to do so, making that Week 10 matchup with the Jets an intriguing option to potentially start Sanders.

Gabriel can't be overlooked in this situation either. As a third-round pick, he may end up being the first up of the two rookies to start if Cleveland does make a change during the season.

It's a very fluid situation overall. One that will start to sort itself out in the coming weeks and months leading up to the regular season.

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

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