The Cleveland Browns came out of their Week 9 bye with a matchup against the New York Jets, one of the few teams in the NFL with fewer wins than the Browns.
But, after multiple poor special teams plays and Dillon Gabriel's continued struggles, the Browns dropped their first game coming out of the bye, 27-20.
Following a tough loss, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that amid mounting pressure to make a quarterback switch to Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland isn't showing any signs of making such a switch. Sanders' hopes of starting are still on hold.
Browns aren't eager to make QB switch to Shedeur Sanders
"The public pressure in Cleveland is mounting." Fowler writes. "But I simply haven't sensed that the Browns have been eager to turn to Shedeur Sanders."
Cleveland drafted Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and two rounds later took a falling Sanders in the fifth round.
There were plenty of questions for the Browns after those two picks, and there will continue to be debates over the Cleveland front office's decision.
But, as Fowler's report indicates, the Browns are still sticking with their Draft-day analysis, as Gabriel is remaining the starter in Cleveland despite his struggles this season.
Gabriel is coming off one of his better performances of the year, throwing for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 17-32 passing. But his struggles can't be quantified with box-score statistics.
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He struggles to avoid sacks, taking six in the loss to the Jets. Add on that he's been one of the more inaccurate passers in the NFL, and Gabriel's struggles have led fans and media alike to call for Sanders to get a starting opportunity.
Starting Sanders would be an admission that Gabriel isn't good enough, making their selection of him two rounds before Sanders look a lot worse.
And not that Sanders playing well would be bad for the organization, but if he does, there would be a lot of questions for the coaching staff and front office about why they didn't go to him sooner.
Kevin Stefanski and the front office have given him a long leash, and despite mounting pressure, the Browns are sticking with Gabriel as the starter. Things could change, but for now, Sanders will remain the backup to Gabriel.
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