Ever since his fall to the fifth round, Shedeur Sanders has been hoping to re-create a Dak Prescott-like magic and prove how his draft selection means nothing. But HC Kevin Stefanski and the Browns haven’t made the rookie’s stay in Cleveland easy. Before he even landed there, the Browns QB room was bursting at the seams– a sidelined Deshaun Watson trying to make his way back in, veteran Joe Flacco, another Super Bowl champ Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. Yet, his rather successful minicamp and OTA energy only added more question marks for Stefanski– Who will be the QB after all?

Entering June, many were certain the job was clearly in Flacco’s hands– he’s an experienced veteran and a former Brown who knows how Stefanski and Co. work. Not to mention, he still wants to play at a high level despite being 40-years-old. For some, it was Pickett who had some playoff knowledge. The rookies? They were always future projects with Gabriel probably getting some third team snaps. In all of the conclusions though, one thing was certain– HC Kevin Stefanski had potential QB starters, but no legitimate starter. And that’s when the trade rumor mills started to churn.

In 2024, Atlanta signed the top free agent QB in the market then, Kirk Cousins, to a $180 million/ 4 year. However, they later drafted Michael Penix Jr. the very same year as the 8th overall pick. With Cousins’ shoulder injury, Penix Jr. got his ticket to the starting spot which eventually turned to the Falcons stating, “We’re fine with Cousins backing up Penix.” But in the first episode of Netflix’s Quarterback series, Cousins admitted he had been “a little bit misled” about the team’s plans. And now, the Falcons are looking for options to get Cousins to another city. That’s exactly where the Browns fit in per Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski.

According to Sobleski, a trade is reportedly a possibility to bring Kirk Cousins to Cleveland. The plan would also reunite him with Stefanski, the coach who helped unlock Cousins’ best statistical seasons back in Minnesota. So, he may be on the move. Again. But this time, to a roster with more immediate urgency than confusion.

The Browns don’t just need a QB – they need a grown-up under center. They have talent everywhere else: Myles Garrett is still wrecking games. Joel Bitonio is still anchoring the line. And David Njoku is still a nightmare in space. But behind center? A revolving door.

Joe Flacco is supposedly QB1 at this point. Kenny Pickett is still trying to convince people he’s more than a Pittsburgh mistake. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are raw. Point is, Cleveland couldn’t afford to waste this season trying to choose between washed, wobbly, and way too young. A healthy Cousins, in Kevin Stefanski’s system, gives them a real shot, not just a ‘maybe if the schedule’s soft’ type of season. And apparently, the Browns knew exactly who had to go to make room for that vision.

Kevin Stefanski possibly clears QB room, Shedeur Sanders out

Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut might end faster than anyone predicted – including him. Per reports, the Browns could part ways with the rookie QB, just months after selecting him in the fifth round. That’s right: the same guy who had the pre-draft buzz, the NIL hype, and the Prime Time surname is now being treated like an option in Cleveland which honestly, any fifth-round pick would be. Why?

Fit. Timing. Roster math. The Browns reportedly never viewed Shedeur as anything more than a value pick. Someone, Kevin Stefanski, passed on multiple times before the – well, he’s still on the board – temptation won out. Add in Gabriel (who was taken two rounds earlier), plus the veterans, plus the now-arriving Kirk Cousins, and suddenly, Shedeur becomes surplus.

NFL Trade Rumors suggest the Browns considered trading him before simply opting to cut bait. He’s young, raw, and may still have value elsewhere. “Trading Sanders as a rookie would be unorthodox,” they wrote. But for Cleveland, this was about streamlining the chaos, not adding more question marks. Even Cris Carter chimed in, noting the Browns’ QB logic made sense. “If they were saying Shedeur was the starter as a fifth-rounder, you got a real problem,” he said, suggesting Pickett and Gabriel made far more practical sense in the depth chart.

Now, Shedeur faces the tough truth of life in the league: name and recognition could get you drafted, but it won’t keep you employed. Not if Kevin Stefanski already found his guy, and his guy just so happens to be the one who once made him look like a genius in Minnesota.