Ryan Clark has been one of the biggest Shedeur Sanders advocates from the start. As the Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation gets more complicated following another trade, Clark continues to stand by Sanders while pointing his finger at head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The Browns recently traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, which would ideally promote Sanders from emergency third string to backup quarterback. However, Stefanski would not commit to that idea after the trade, further fueling Clark's belief that the veteran head coach has mishandled the situation from the start.
“When you think about this process, it feels that Kevin Stefanski wasn't ready to draft Shedeur Sanders, and then upon drafting him, he didn't put a plan in place to deal with the person,” Clark said on ‘First Take.' “You have to understand, with Shedeur Sanders is gonna come more media attention, more scrutiny. He's going to be treated unlike anything else in that locker room.”
"If [Shedeur Sanders] is not named the backup quarterback, it's time to part ways. … Too much comes with him if you don't see that sort of plan for him."@Realrclark25 shares his thoughts on Kevin Stefanski and the Browns ✍️ pic.twitter.com/7nMuuh5Tug
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 9, 2025
Clark went as far as to say that the Browns need to get rid of Sanders if Stefanski is unable to name him the backup. The ESPN analyst believes that if Cleveland elevates another player above Sanders, it would purely be a political move that proves the team is not committed to the star rookie.
“If he is not named the backup quarterback, it's time to part ways. It's time to trade him. It's time to get him out of your locker room, because, clearly, you're playing for development, and it's not to develop Shedeur Sanders as a future starter of your team. Too much comes with him if you don't see that sort of plan for him.”
Browns' quarterback situation following Joe Flacco trade
When the Browns initially selected Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it gave them an interesting four-headed monster at quarterback entering the preseason. That has since been whittled down to two with no more veterans in the locker room.
Kenny Pickett was the first man out, with the Browns trading him before the season began, and Joe Flacco is now also out of the picture. Cleveland benched Flacco for rookie Dillon Gabriel one week before trading him, suggesting it is ready for the future to begin now.
DeShaun Watson remains on the team, but his Achilles injury will keep him out for the entire 2025 season. Regardless of the injury, the Browns will want anything but being forced to turn back to Watson once he returns.
Without including Watson, the Browns are now down to just Gabriel and Sanders. Stefanski, however, says he wants to evaluate all his backup options, which would theoretically include Bailey Zappe, the team's only practice squad quarterback.
