Browns owner set to ‘clean house’ piling pressure on Kevin Stefanski as Deion Sanders reacts to Shedeur debut

Nov 26, 2025 - 14:30

The Shedeur Sanders era has officially landed in Cleveland.

After months of drama, the son of Hall of Famer Deion completed his rise from fourth on the depth chart to official starter in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns walks off the field after beating the Las Vegas Raiders — Sanders will face a must tougher assignment in his second start

Sanders landed his chance thanks to Dillon Gabriel’s injury, but showed enough to keep hold of the job for Sunday’s visit of the San Francisco 49ers.

The fifth-rounder has until the end of the season to persuade Cleveland bosses not to use their two first round picks on a quarterback in April.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry will be heavily involved in that decision, but a new report suggests that both could be out of a job before then.

“Another season in Cleveland is headed down the tubes, and things seem uncertain,” wrote The Athletic’s Mike Jones. “While some believe Browns owner Jimmy Haslam could clean house, others believe Berry will receive more time and that coach Kevin Stefanski will receive the axe.”

Stefanski and Berry arrived in 2020 — the Browns have one playoff win since then and Haslam’s patience will eventually run out.

Both men’s futures could well rest on a man who began the season as an afterthought.

Sanders replaced Gabriel during a loss to the Baltimore Ravens and understandably looked shaky coming off the bench, completing just four of 16 passes and throwing two picks.

He was vastly improved against the Raiders having been given first-team reps in practice and up against a more forgiving defense.

Sanders made a coupled of highlight-reel plays and racked up over 200 yards as well as scoring his first NFL touchdown in front of proud dad Deion.

There were still teething issues, but the Sanders family was delighted with the victory.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski talks to Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders — Stefanski’s future could hinge on how Sanders players

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders talks with his son Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2), left, as the Colorado Buffaloes play the North Dakota State Bison at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado on August 29, 2024. — Deion helped shape Shedeur’s career but is giving his son room to grow

talkSPORT reacts..... Shedeur's disciplined approach pays off

Much of the talk surrounding Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide focused on his interviews allegedly putting teams off, writes Jamie Gordon.

Since then, the rookie has largely kept his mouth shut — once literally in a bizarre locker room chat — and the approach is working.

Surrounded by noise, Shedeur has done exactly what many said he couldn’t and done his talking on the field.

The fifth-rounder appears to have far higher upside than Dillon Gabriel, but the Niners will be determined to derail the hype train and late picks have a short leash.

Whatever happens in the boardroom, the smart money is on Cleveland drafting QB in spring.

Jamie Gordon, US Sports writer

“That’s the first time I’ve ever watched him play without me on the sideline, said Deion, who coached Shedeur in high school and college. “It was good and it was healthy because I was just in straight dad mode.”

Shedeur’s entourage included private quarterback trainer Darrell Colbert Jr., older brother Deion Sanders Jr. and Deion’s business manager Constance Schwartz-Morini.

“Being able to see my family, that was important,” he said after the game. “I’m happy they was here to be able to witness it.”

Mom Pilar, who divorced Deion in 2011, was also in attendance.

“That’s what life is about − just family,” he added.

Walking in in Deion’s footsteps was always going to be tough — Primetime is a hard act to follow.

NFL's Greatest......

Ranking the top 10......

Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?

Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?

Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more

Tight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?

The Hall of Fame corner is doing his best not to be a sideshow.

“You don’t want to be his distraction, but not that I would ever would be,” he said on the Colorado Football Coaches Show. “But then you think, ‘You know, he came all the way up here to see you?’

“So that’s even a shorter trip to see him. You start thinking that as a dad, you know. Because you know what it means to him if he just catch a glimpse of him before he walks out.”

Deion Jr. and Shilo both played at college level, but Shedeur is the only one of Deion’s three sons to take the field as a pro.

There are six games left this season for the 23-year-old to prove he can end a revolving door of Browns quarterbacks.

He got off on the right foot as the first Cleveland rookie QB to win on his first start since 1995, but has a long road ahead of him.

Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for news, exclusive interviews and more.