Kevin Stefanski Will Ignore Joe Flacco for Shedeur Sanders After Browns GM Confirms Jimmy Haslam’s Role – Report

Back in March, the Browns pulled off a low-key trade for Kenny Pickett, sending Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-rounder to Philly. Pickett had just wrapped up a Super Bowl run with the Eagles, mostly holding a clipboard, but he showed flashes when called upon. Then, in April, they re-signed Joe Flacco, the 40-year-old vet who led them to the 2023 playoffs. With Deshaun Watson likely out for 2025 due to another Achilles injury, the QB room was already crowded.

Draft weekend? Things got even wilder. The Browns grabbed Dillon Gabriel in the third round, then traded up to snag Shedeur Sanders at No. 144. Sanders, who lit up college football with over 14,000 passing yards, was a surprise slide. Now, Cleveland’s QB depth chart reads: Pickett, Flacco, Gabriel, Sanders, and the injured Watson. It’s a full-on competition, and with Stefanski keeping things open, nobody’s guaranteed the top spot.

So the big question: who’s going to be the Browns’ starting QB? Pickett believes that Cleveland will give him a chance to start. Flacco is the top contender, because you know, the man’s a seasoned vet. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has a different take on this interesting circumstance. Florio’s choice? Shedeur Sanders—in one way or another.

A couple of days ago, Florio sat down with Michael Holley and discussed how Sanders will make an impact on and off the field. And while discussing the same, Florio stated that the Browns are going to use Sanders at some point in his rookie season. “He’s (Sanders) involved in Cleveland,” Florio said. “He going to play at some point this year. These are the Browns. They’re not going to come out and be wire to wire short list contenders and ride it out with Joe Flacco.”

The last couple of weeks have been rough and tough for the 23-year-old QB. First, all 32 teams neglected Sanders until the 144th pick when the Browns finally snagged him. And that prank call drama worked as fuel to the fire prior to his draft selection. Now that the Browns are heading to the 2025 season, it’s likely Shedeur will get an opportunity to start in his rookie season. And why not?

Sanders will enter the pros after recording the best season of his career at Colorado. With a 74.0% completion rate, the guy had 4.134 yards and racked up 37 touchdowns. And considering Flacco’s last few seasons have been underwhelming, it’s likely Cleveland will start with Shedeur Sanders at some point this year. But the Browns are drafting Shedeur? Yeah, that’s been the talk of the town—and honestly, it still hasn’t stopped.

Jimmy Haslam had nothing to do with Shedeur Sanders’ drafting

The Browns already had Pickett and Flacco on their roster ahead of the 2025 NFL draft. Then came the draft night, and they picked Gabriel with the 94th overall pick. The guy is coming with six years of college experience. So, was it enough for the Browns to go ahead for the 2025 season? Absolutely not. Cleveland saw an opportunity later in the fifth round.

An opportunity to draft a talented signal caller (ditch the noise around him for once) with a good arm, poise, and above all, pocket discipline—Shedeur Sanders. And get this, the Browns traded up from 166 and 192 to get him. And finally, they picked Sanders at 144th. However, right after that went down, the attention shifted towards the owner, Jimmy Haslam, considering the Browns’ QB room is now stacked up, which would throw it in disarray.

Enter, the Browns’ general manager, Andrew Berry, who just made it clear that the owner had nothing to do with moving up and drafting Sanders in the fifth round. The general manager stated that the decision was a “collaborative football decision.” On top of that, Berry reiterated that Haslam “lets us do our jobs.”

In fact, as per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Berry was the one who pushed for Sanders, identified the value, and executed the trade-up with Seattle. Fowler reported that the Browns entered the draft after doing homework on Shedeur throughout the draft process and voilà, the Browns ended up drafting. At the end of the day, whether it was Haslam’s decision to draft Shedeur or Berry’s, it’s going to be a long-term debate.

But one thing seems certain: the Browns could start with Shedeur Sanders at some point this year.

The post Kevin Stefanski Will Ignore Joe Flacco for Shedeur Sanders After Browns GM Confirms Jimmy Haslam’s Role – Report appeared first on EssentiallySports.