Jul 23, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) and quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throw passes during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Browns Poll Shows Fanbase's Preference for QB Rotation

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 2:30 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition was arguably the NFL's most dominant story of training camp. There's been plenty of intrigue about who will emerge victorious as the QB1 between the four candidates they brought in this past offseason. Now, after their first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, the battle looks even more wide-open than ever before.

Against the Panthers, fourth-year veteran Kenny Pickett and 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel were unavailable due to injuries. The presumed favorite, Joe Flacco, sat out since he's a known commodity entering his 18th season in the NFL. That left fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders as the Browns' starter against Carolina.

So far, Head Coach Kevin Stefanski has been consistent in tempering expectations for the 144th-overall pick. However, his impressive 138 passing yards and two touchdowns in his start against the Panthers has combated the coach's best efforts. Sanders even won over one of his most prominent detractors in the media, LeBron James, and, of course, the fans were already on the hype train.

Cleveland Browns fans pick Shedeur Sanders to be the backup quarterback

If it were up to the fans, Sanders' performance against the Carolina Panthers would have vaulted him dramatically up the depth chart. He's still listed as QB4 on ESPN, and Stefanski has maintained that he wants to see what Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel have to offer once they're back healthy.

The fanbase is convinced, though. ESPN Cleveland recently ran a poll on X, asking where Shedeur Sanders should be in the rotation. Through the first four hours, "2nd string" landed an overwhelming majority of the 2,400+ votes.

Nearly 60 percent of users picked for him to be QB2. Over 17 percent said that he should be the starter, while 18 chose "3rd string". Only 5.4 percent of fans said he should remain at fourth.

Of course, fan sentiment matters little to Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and the rest of the Browns organization. However, it'd be wrong to say that the support he's getting won't factor in at all for a franchise that struggled heavily to fill seats last season.

Ultimately, Sanders will have to continue to impress throughout the remainder of the preseason to truly climb the depth chart. That said, having the fanbase behind him could make a difference if Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel can't demonstrably show that they're clearly more ready for NFL reps. Furthermore, the fans' affinity for Shedeur Sanders could stave off the threat of a team looking elsewhere for a franchise quarterback.

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

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