Cleveland’s locker room holds two truths at once. Joel Bitonio likes what he’s seeing from rookie Shedeur Sanders: the focus, the “ready to work” vibe, the way he’s learned the playbook, and yet more. But he’s also totally at peace with Kevin Stefanski handing the Week 1 huddle to Joe Flacco. The reasoning tracks: Flacco won the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year after a late-season 4–1 surge that helped push the Browns into the playoffs, so maybe he can do that (or better than it) again?

For a veteran guard who’s lived the ups and downs in Cleveland, that kind of résumé beats the uncertainty of a rookie-only QB room. “I want to play meaningful games in December, in January,” Bitonio admitted in a recent interview with Nick Pedone at GV Artwork.

Bitonio has played in just two playoff games in his entire career. In five of his 11 seasons, the Browns were mathematically eliminated before December ended. For someone who’s logged over 11,000 career snaps in orange and brown, those wasted winters sting. That explains his fixation on late-season relevance. 

“God, I would hope I could tell you that, ‘hey, we’re going to the Super Bowl’. But I think we take it one week at a time and we compete and we have a team that fights out there, and we’re putting out stuff that we’re proud of as a team. I think that’s going to be successful for us.” Because Bitonio has already had a taste of the opposite. Last year’s 3–14 disaster included cycling through four quarterbacks, getting ranked 30th in scoring offense, and turning the ball over 34 times. That’s why he values an offense that can run the ball now. It’s something that Flacco executed during his 2023 stretch and could be the safest bet to keep the Browns afloat– especially during a brutal 2025 opening stretch (Ravens, Bengals, Steelers in the first six weeks). And, as per Bitonio, his impact goes against the ball, still: 

“He brings like calmness, this, you know, cool Joe to the team. … we have a quarterback that we trust and we know he’s going to make the plays. … we obviously had success with him a couple of years ago and we think we can recreate that.” So, for now, with Deshaun Watson’s return to the field questionable, and the entire roster depending on Flacco’s experience, the margin for error could shrink.

But the Browns still believe in layering this veteran approach with youthful ambition at quarterback. At the center of it, like a majority of the Browns’ headlines this offseason, is Shedeur Sanders.

Shedeur Sanders’ Cleveland grind through the eyes of Joel Bitonio

Joel Bitonio has seen rookie quarterbacks come and go since the Johnny Manziel days, but this offseason, two new names: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, have his attention. “Both guys came in since day one… put their head down and worked,” he said, crediting Gabriel’s professionalism and Sanders’ focus despite constant media attention. “He’s come in and he’s worked and he gets a lot of media attention. But truthfully, (he’s) on his own, like he is dialed in. He’s trying to learn the playbook, trying to understand what’s going on, and he’s performed well in camp.” This comes despite the mixed bag of deliveries Sanders had in the preseason. 

Sanders’ preseason debut against the Panthers was sharp: 14-of-23 for 138 yards, two touchdowns, and 19 rushing yards. But his finale against the Rams told a different story: just 3-of-6 for 14 yards, five sacks, and 41 yards lost. Those swings likely locked him in as the emergency QB behind Flacco and Gabriel, but it’s a part of Cleveland’s broader strategy.

 Bitonio recognizes the challenge that comes along but remains optimistic. “You draft quarterbacks, and it’s probably the most important position in sports. So why not take a couple of chances at it and see if, you know, one of these guys can continue to develop and be a productive guy for us?” That mindset aligns with Cleveland’s 2025 blueprint: lean on Flacco for “meaningful games in December, in January,” while grooming rookies who might one day take over. For Sanders, that means staying quiet, stacking good days, and proving the work outweighs the noise.