Cleveland Browns Shedeur Sanders 12 throws a pass on the sideline during a timeout against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday December 7, 2025. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUSA CLE20251207113 AARONxJOSEFCZYK
Cleveland Browns Shedeur Sanders 12 throws a pass on the sideline during a timeout against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday December 7, 2025. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUSA CLE20251207113 AARONxJOSEFCZYK
Dec 26, 2025, 3:12 PM CUT
Jason McCourty Rips Into the Cleveland Browns Over Major Blunder With QB Position
Jason McCourty, a former defensive back, spelled out the Browns’ mismanagement while talking about Shedeur Sanders and the other quarterbacks
Speaking on Yahoo Sports Daily, he backed the rookies, Shedeur Sanders specifically, and pointed out they were burdened with responsibilities mid-season after trading away Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco.
“Fast forward to when he's getting his opportunity to start and hadn't taken a rep with the firsts all season long. Which is somewhat normal when you're in the NFL as a backup quarterback.”
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns Dec 21, 2025 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders 12 throws the ball as Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau 50 defends during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Huntington Bank Field Ohio USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20251221_rtc_bk4_0252
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns Dec 21, 2025 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders 12 throws the ball as Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau 50 defends during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Huntington Bank Field Ohio USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20251221_rtc_bk4_0252
With Deshaun Watson out for the season, the Browns needed veterans like Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. That left two rookies who had very little game time taking precedence. In the end, it showed up in their performances. Gabriel was able to make a limited impact, and Shedeur Sanders' debut was awful.
“You typically don't have two rookies in the quarterback room”, he said. So I think the Browns have fumbled this entire quarterback situation all season long. And then Shedeur gets the brunt of that.”
It took Shedeur's four-touchdown performance to get himself as a starting QB. And while he's already ahead of Dillon Gabriel in pure numbers, there have been a few issues.
McCourty believes the issues are all part of Shedeur Sanders' journey
Sanders has made eight interceptions for 1,103 yards. And his problems became clearer against the Bears when he was sacked five times, but according to the former defensive back, it's a part of progress.
“We've seen games where he's played well, and we've seen games where he's made some mistakes. Held the ball too long, threw an interception. That is part of the rookie process of playing the quarterback position. I was in Cleveland for a year, where we didn't win a single game.”
Sanders still has two games left to prove himself. If he manages to recover the team's 3-12 record, he might just get the starting job for next year.
Written by
Akanksha Biradar
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar