For at least four months now, the Cleveland Browns have made headlines for their brimming QB room. First, HC Kevin Stefanski brought back Joe Flacco and signed veteran Kenny Pickett. Then, he drafted Dillon Gabriel, followed by Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL draft. When questioned about the leader under center, Stefanski only repeated one thing: “It’s an open competition.” But, wrapping up the preseason, the head coach finally made a choice.

In Saturday’s 17-19 preseason win over the LA Rams, Sanders played for most of the second half but could not impress like he did against the Carolina Panthers. He completed 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards and 5 sacks with no points. Taking his place for the final 2:03 minutes was Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley. In six plays, he drove the Browns 46 yards to set up Andre Szmyt’s 37-yard game-winning field goal. Still, the next day, Huntley was cut. Now, the Browns fans are wondering if there was really a competition. For one, Sanders’ ally, Hellion “Boog” Knight, isn’t keeping quiet.

When Browns insider Mike Lucas of Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show gave his honest assessment, saying, “It was never a competition, Stefanski lied to us (media),” Boog shared his clip. He added his thoughts on the situation in Cleveland, tweeting, “Right. Just keep it real. Nothing more, nothing less. And all is well.” 

In his clip, Lucas mentioned the entire scenario, claiming, “The Biggest lie Kevin Stefanski ever told us was that this was ‘an open four-man quarterback competition’. What he should have said is, ‘All four quarterbacks are gonna have a chance to compete.’ Because that’s technically what they did. There was never an actual competition. Shedeur and Dillon never had a chance to outdo the two veterans in practice. It was evidently clear by all the things, not that Stefanski said, but that he did. Jason says this all the time, you have to follow their actions, not their words, sometimes.

“And Shedeur, despite what he did against Carolina, never got bumped up and had an opportunity to get more reps. Despite the fact that he did not play at all in the preseason, is probably going to be on the roster, is probably going to be their backup. And that tells me, if it’s a competition, he didn’t compete. So, how is he…? It was never a competition. Stefanski lied to us. And as the head coach of the team, he has every right to lie to us. The media gets lied to by coaches and executives all the time. But, this whole notion that it was an open four-man competition could not have been further from the truth.” 

Boog, who has known the Sanders family since Shedeur was only five years old, didn’t bite his tongue in the aftermath of everything that went down in Berea. For months, analysts claimed that even if the rookies made it, they would have to wait to start a game. Although Dillon Gabriel, getting several first-team practices, was always seen as Pickett’s QB2 competition, Sanders only practiced with the third or fourth team throughout the OTAs and the training camp.

Still, against the Panthers, he sparked some hope. With Pickett and fellow rookie Gabriel both nursing their hamstrings and Flacco getting rest, Sanders got the green light to be the starter. In the week-1 preseason debut, he pushed the Browns for a 30-10 win with 14/23 completions for 138 yards and 2 TDs. Then, he had to miss the second preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, along with three crucial practices, due to his oblique muscle strain.

While Sanders had to play as is, Stefanski brought him as a future QB in the making. As a result, he preferred to cut Huntley. What Boog and others don’t like, though, is that Sanders never really got bumped up for first-team or second-team reps. Now, he is getting some first-team defense practice sessions to improve his speed.

Even though Stefanski pulled Sanders out in the final two minutes for Huntley on Saturday, he knows that Sanders’ development could be key to Cleveland’s success.

Kevin Stefanski defends Shedeur Sanders after preseason finale

With the Rams taking a 17-16 lead late in the game, Stefanski replaced Sanders with Huntley. While the latter helped them win, Sanders was not thrilled to be pulled out. Everyone saw him walk it out on the sidelines. Although he went to the head coach to ask for another chance, he was given a stern no. After the game, Stefanski seemed quite firm in his decision while still believing in Sanders’ potential.

“I don’t concern myself with outside types of things. I’m committed to his development, just like all of our rookies. We’ll keep focusing on getting our guys better.” 

Even with the bad night, Sanders is currently locked in as QB4 or even QB3 if Pickett doesn’t return. Stefanski claims that’s a blessing in disguise. And Sanders has shown the same promise. After the game, he said, “I’ve got to watch the film, honestly. I can’t say what it was. Definitely different places where I could get my eyes in better spots and got through the progressions quicker and regardless to anything. So all those sack stuff, they definitely on me.”

For now, Flacco remains the starter. Behind him are Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. While Sanders is still looking for his place, he believes he will eventually bring a Super Bowl to Cleveland. With the fans, Boog, and his potential to back him, only time will tell how he turns out under Kevin Stefanski.