Browns say Sanders to remain QB1 for Week 14

CLEVELAND -- Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders will get a third straight start next Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced after the team's 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Sanders, the 144th pick in this year's draft, completed 16 of 25 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown in his first home start Sunday.

"I'd have to look at it. Obviously, he's battling, like all of our guys are battling," Stefanski said when asked about Sanders' performance. "I know there's plays he wants back, but we'll look at it and correct them."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Saturday that the Browns were open to giving Sanders an extended look for the rest of this season, just as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel got in the first half of this season when he made six consecutive starts.

Stefanski was noncommittal when asked if Sanders would start for the remainder of the season.

"Obviously we lost, so I ain't play well," Sanders said. "There's definitely things on film I'm going to look back and want to get back and want to see, but at least moving forward I know what we could do differently going about the week and being able to get fully, fully prepared for every possibility."

Sanders threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. late in the second quarter that gave the Browns an 8-7 lead; rookie running back Quinshon Judkins converted a 2-point attempt on a 1-yard run after the 49ers were flagged for too many men on the field. Cleveland, though, was unable to build on the momentum. The Browns trailed 10-8 at halftime and were held scoreless in the second half.

Still trailing 10-8 with seven minutes remaining, the Browns elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 33-yard line, but rookie tight end Fannin mishandled the exchange on an attempted sneak, and the 49ers recovered the ball. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy scored on a 2-yard run nine plays later to put Cleveland in a two-score deficit.

It marked the second time in the game that the Browns failed on a fourth-and-short attempt; Judkins was stuffed short on a carry from the 49ers' 20 earlier in the first quarter as Cleveland trailed 7-0.

Late in the fourth quarter with the Browns trailing 26-8, Sanders stayed on the ground for a moment after sliding on a scramble. He was helped up by a teammate, flexed his legs and walked off the field under his own power, then returned after one play. Gabriel, who started six games before sustaining a concussion in Week 11 that sidelined him the following game, entered in place of Sanders for the sole play he was sidelined.

"It was just a little ankle, but we good. We good, though," Sanders said.

The defeat dropped the Browns to 3-9, clinching their fourth losing season in six years under Stefanski. It's also Cleveland's 23rd losing seasons in 27 seasons since returning to the NFL in 1999 -- no other team had more than 17 losing seasons since 1999 entering the 2025 season.

"This team is not going to be a microwave thing," Sanders said. "We're going to have sparks here and there, but it's going to take time to be able to develop that chemistry with everybody, to be on the same page with [wide receiver] Jerry [Jeudy].

"Of course you want to be able to get him the ball, but you got to understand it takes time. I'm more of a trust person, and that's just what it boils down to. So, we have to spend time on task with all those guys and be able to trust and be able to see things at the same lens."