Will Shedeur Sanders Start for Browns vs. 49ers After 1st NFL Win? HC Weighs In

Kevin Stefanski didn't offer any insight into whether he would consider starting Shedeur Sanders next week, even if Dillon Gabriel was healthy following Sunday's 24-10 win.

"I'm not going to get into that," the Cleveland Browns head coach told reporters. "Obviously, proud of him and proud of this offense and there are a ton of things to learn from, but I'm just going to worry about today."

Sanders was solid if unspectacular in the game, finishing 11-of-20 for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception while taking one sack.

Shedeur's 1st NFL TD 🙌

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It was far better than his performance in relief of Gabriel a week ago, however, when he entered in the second half of a loss against the Baltimore Ravens and was 4-of-16 for 47 yards with an interception, a fumble (recovered by Cleveland) and two sacks taken.

Stefanski had said previously that if Gabriel would have been the starter against the Raiders if he would have cleared the concussion protocol. If that same thinking holds, it seems likely that he'll return to starting duties upon his return, though Sanders at least gave the Browns a reason to weigh their options.

Stefanski said he'll "take my time and do what's best for the football team" when it came to making the decision regarding the quarterback.

Gabriel, 24, hasn't been great this season, throwing for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions while completing just 59.2 percent of his passes and taking 18 sacks in eight games. The Browns are just 1-5 in his starts.

There's certainly an argument to be made that it is in the Browns best interest to see if they have something in Sanders. With two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft, the team will have ammunition to go after a quarterback. That may not be needed if Sanders shows legitimate upside. Gabriel hasn't exactly flashed in that regard.

One thing is for certain—Sanders isn't lacking in confidence.

"I enjoyed it," he told reporters after the game when asked to summarize Sunday's performance. "I enjoyed it a lot. Coming up here before y'all, six, seven months ago I couldn't tell you I'd be here. That's how life is. Everybody's not in the best situation. But there's no excuse. You gotta go out there and perform. There's no choice, there's no question. Nobody cares if this was one week of prep. Who cares, you know? So a lot of people want to see me fail and... it ain't gonna happen. It ain't gonna happen."