With Week 8 starting in the NFL, the regular season is almost halfway through. It has been a goldmine of surprises for the fans and teams alike. While the Indianapolis Colts lead the season with a 6-1 record, the New York Jets have yet to win their first game. However, some teams are stuck in the middle ground, struggling to balance fan demands and the head coach’s preferences.
One such team is the Cleveland Browns, with a 2-5 record. After Joe Flacco stepped down, Dillon Gabriel stepped up as the QB1. But it was already a tug of war between Gabriel and a fan favorite, Shedeur Sanders. The 144th overall pick has not been given a chance to play yet. After many questions flowed in, owner Jimmy Haslam finally opened up.
What Does Owner Jimmy Haslam Feel About Browns QB Shedeur Sanders?
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini recently attended the owners’ fall meeting and talked to many prominent figures. It included Jeffrey Lurie, Jerry Jones, Woody Johnson, Mark Davis, and Haslam.
Many people emphasize that Sanders did not get a starting role because of head coach Kevin Stefanski’s favoritism towards Dillon. However, this was never the case. Haslam pointed out that it was not favoritism, but professionalism.
NFL owners were talking and had LOTS to say at their fall meetings, including:
– Jeffrey Lurie
– Jerry Jones
– Woody Johnson
– Jimmy Haslam
– Mark DavisThis is what they told me, plus more trade deadline buzz and other nuggets: https://t.co/6oUQniXGLK
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 25, 2025
“Listen, he’s a serious football player, and inside the building, there’s no noise,” Haslam told Russini. “He comes to work every day just like everybody else, and he’s trying to get better as a football player.”
While that explains how the team wants Sanders to get to his full potential before making him the showstopper, Stefanski has recently come up with an explanation. He is hesitant to hand over the starting role to Sanders even when Gabriel is struggling because it might have detrimental effect on the rookie.
“With a young quarterback, with Dillon starting, you want to make sure he gets a lot of the reps. It’s different when you have a veteran with Joe (Flacco),” Stefanski said. If you read between the lines, it also highlights a key element of team building: Trust. Stefanski taking the role away from Gabriel will be the easy way out. But doing so will have a mental toll on him.
Also Read: Browns Urged To Trade Shedeur Sanders in Blockbuster Move for Superstar WR
It is Stefanski’s way of saying to a young quarterback, ‘You are a part of the team. Even when you make a mistake, your team and coach trust that you can make it right.’ This speaks volumes about sportsmanship. But what about Sanders?
Well, has anyone ever seen Sanders react to questions about not being the QB1? It was only once, but that day, he was silent, and you had to read his lips to understand what he was trying to say. At the end of the day, the teams are more transparent internally than they are to the public.
It seems like Sanders is the Browns’ secret weapon. They wouldn’t trade him off, but keep him as their trump card. The day he makes his debut, he will take the NFL world by storm.
