Shedeur Sanders said on Wednesday that he’s focused on being the Browns’ starting quarterback in Week 15 and not on the final three weeks of the season.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said this week that Sanders will be the team’s starter for the rest of the regular season. That commitment gives Sanders, who has started the last three games, an extended chance to make his case for the job in 2026, but he said at a press conference that he’s only looking at this week when asked about the implications of Stefanski’s announcement.
“Yeah, that’s a long, deep thought,” Sanders said, via a transcript from the team. “Like, that’s not in my focus. My focus right now is the team we’re playing ahead, the Bears — anything past that I’m not really focused on, honestly. I’m thankful for it, but I’m not content with my situation, with everything. And we’re leading this team.”
Sanders made his debut in the second half of a Week 11 loss to the Ravens. He has gone 50-of-87 for 722 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions since becoming the starter.
Browns Clips
The Browns signed cornerback Tre Avery from the practice squad to the active roster, the team announced Wednesday.
Avery is in his fourth season out of Rutgers, having originally signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
He has appeared in 44 career games, including six with the Browns this season.
Avery has seen action on 12 defensive snaps and 67 on special teams, totaling seven tackles. In his career, he has totaled 72 tackles, seven passes defensed and a fumble recovery in 44 games.
The Browns waived safety Christopher Edmonds in a corresponding move.
The Browns added a pair of players to their active roster on Wednesday.
They have signed running back Trayveon Williams off of the Chargers’ practice squad and tackle Jeremiah Byers off of the Cardinals’ practice squad. They did not need to make any corresponding moves after placing center Ethan Pocic and running back Jerome Ford on injured reserve on Tuesday.
Williams spent August with the team, but did not make the 53-man roster. He played in three games for the Chargers this season and appeared in 68 contests for the Bengals over the previous six seasons. He has 65 carries for 306 yards over the course of his career.
Byers was undrafted out of Florida State this year.
The effort to build a new Browns stadium has encountered many obstacles. One of them will continue to linger.
Via Jessie Balmert of the Cincinnati Enquirer, a federal judge has declined to dismiss a legal challenge aimed at preventing Ohio from using unclaimed funds to partially finance the project.
The judge nevertheless denied a motion for preliminary injunction, which was aimed at blocking the first payment of unclaimed money as of January 1, 2026.
In all, $600 million will be devoted to the Browns stadium. Unless the pending lawsuit eventually prevails.
If the unclaimed funds faucet is eventually twisted shut, Ohio likely would dip into its ongoing windfall from sports betting to help pay for the Browns’ new stadium.
The Browns have made a pair of roster moves on Tuesday.
Cleveland announced center Ethan Pocic and running back Jerome Ford have both been placed on injured reserve.
Pocic, the Browns’ starting center, suffered a torn Achilles during Sunday’s loss to the Titans. He has started 57 games for Cleveland since joining the team in 2022.
Ford is now out for the rest of the year with a shoulder injury. In 13 games this season, Ford rushed for 73 yards on 24 carries and caught 26 passes for 103 yards.
A fifth-round pick in 2022, Ford is set to become a free agent in March.
At least temporarily, the Browns will move forward with a pair of open roster spots. The club did sign center Darrian Dalcourt and defensive tackle to the practice squad. Ochaun Mathis and Mark Robinson were released from the practice squad as corresponding moves.
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings had a week off from confrontations with opponents due to the team’s bye week, but he was asked about his last issue when he spoke to reporters on Monday.
Browns defensive lineman Shelby Harris said that Jennings “said some things that you should not say to another man” during an injury stoppage in the Week 13 game between the teams. Harris also said he could “see exactly why they punched him in the nuts” in reference to Panthers safety Tre’Von Moehrig doing that to Jennings the previous week.
Harris’ teammate Myles Garrett also took issue with Jennings’ comments and the wideout said on Monday that he thinks “they wanted some attention” because he doesn’t believe he said anything that crossed a line.
“I mean, [Harris] said some things, so why ain’t he saying what he said?” Jennings said, via Matt Barrows of TheAthletic.com. “I don’t know, bro. I do know it ain’t that bad. That’s what I do know. I’m gonna just keep it to myself, what I said, but I know it wasn’t that bad, and he knows that. It’s funny. If he sees me to smack me, maybe y’all find out that day.”
Jennings said that you “shouldn’t say you want to kill someone” when asked where he would draw a line and the reactions from his recent opponents suggest that is probably a different place than some others would place it.
The Browns did not win on Sunday, but quarterback Shedeur Sanders put together an impressive enough performance to solidify his spot as QB1.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced in his Monday press conference that Sanders will remain Cleveland’s starter for the rest of the 2025 season.
“I think all along with our quarterbacks and our young players, you’re always making sure that you’re making the right decisions for our guys,” Stefanski said. “And I think he has constantly and consistently gotten better in each one of these games. And how he’s approached this game, he’s been working very hard. So, I feel good about where his development is heading. He knows there are always going to be plays where he can be better and those types of things. But he’s very intentional about getting better each and every game he’s out there.”
Sanders took over as the starter after Gabriel suffered a concussion against the Ravens in Week 11 and has started the team’s last three games. In his four appearances with three starts, Sanders has completed 52.4 percent of his passes for 769 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
In Sunday’s loss to the Titans, Sanders finished 23-of-42 for 364 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also took three carries for 29 yards with a TD.
Sanders’ next start will come on the road against the Bears in Week 15. Cleveland will follow that with games against Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati to cap the 2025 season.
Browns center Ethan Pocic’s season is over.
Pocic was carted to the locker room during Sunday’s loss to the Titans and head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed at his Monday press conference that Pocic tore his Achilles.
“Obviously feeling for Ethan,” Stefanski said. “He’s a huge part of our team, of our offense. We’ve relied heavily on him, having a veteran center in there. Disappointed for him, I know he will bounce back.”
Pocic has started every game for the Browns this season and has started 57 games over the last four seasons. He is not under contract for 2026, so there’s no guarantee that he’ll be with the Browns when he’s ready to get back on the field.
Luke Wypler replaced Pocic on Sunday and will take over as the starter in Cleveland.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski handed play-calling responsibilities to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees earlier this season, but he pointed the finger at himself when it came time to discuss the team’s bid to tie the Titans late in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
The Browns pulled within 31-29 on a Shedeur Sanders touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin and then lined up in the Wildcat to go for two. Running back Quinshon Judkins took the snap and ran right with plans to flip the ball to wide receiver Gage Larvadain, but didn’t have a good handle on the ball and wound up keeping the ball before firing a last-ditch incompletion in the wideout’s direction.
After the game, Stefanski said at his press conference that he knew during the scoring drive that he wanted to run that play and that it “obviously did not go as we thought it would.” He also said that “I make every call” when asked whose decision it was to go that route.
“I’m responsible for all of it,” Stefanski said, via a transcript from the team.
The Browns failed to convert on a previous two-point play in the fourth quarter when Sanders lost the ball on the snap, but Stefanski said that didn’t contribute to the decision to go with the Wildcat look on the final attempt to tie the game. That choice didn’t work out and the loss officially eliminated the Browns from playoff contention for the fourth time in Stefanski’s six years in Cleveland.
The Browns believe center Ethan Pocic tore his Achilles, Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report reports.
Pocic was injured on the first play of the fourth quarter. His left calf appeared to pop, and he needed a cart to get off the field.
He will undergo an MRI to confirm, but a torn Achilles is easily diagnosed.
The injury will end his season.
Pocic has started 56 games the past four seasons for the Browns.
He is scheduled to become a free agent in March.
