Browns Kevin Stefanski, Shedeur Sanders could benefit each other

Remember when you attended school and the teacher assigned you an assignment but you had to find/were assigned a partner to get the job done? Picking your own partner paid benefits because you were comfortable with the person you knew, while if you were assigned to someone who you didn’t know it would take a while to get adjusted to that person.

Sometimes it would work out, other times it didn’t. Welcome to the Cleveland Browns in 2025, depending on who you believe.

In life, we have all dealt with some form of this partnership. Workplace or relationship, it matters. In terms of football, when it comes to having a quarterback and a head coach, it matters. If the quarterback and head coach are in sync with each other with a healthy relationship, it can pay dividends not only for the quarterback but also for the head coach.

An example that is well known is Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Before Stafford, McVay had quarterback Jared Goff, and that relationship seemed to be thriving until McVay knew he had maxed out with Goff. It led to the Rams trading Goff to the Detroit Lions for Stafford. The end result? McVay got a Super Bowl (after reaching it with Goff) and Stafford has been solid since then.

There’s been a lot of talk about Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The discourse surrounding the two has been entertaining to say the least. Stefanski and Sanders are opposites in terms of personality. Stefanski is more reserved, doesn’t wear emotions on his sleeve, but Sanders is more confident with a loud personality.

Since the team drafted two quarterbacks in this past draft, selecting rookie Dillon Gabriel in the third then trading up for Sanders in the 5th round. It’s clear that the Browns had a plan for Sanders by how he was handled throughout the entirety of OTAs and throughout training camp. Despite what people will say, Sanders and Stefanski could benefit from working together.

If the Browns were to fire Stefanski (it’s up in the air at this point) the current head coaching candidates aren’t exciting.

Let’s say the Browns choose not to draft a quarterback and invest in Sanders; firing Stefanski does more harm than good for Sanders. Stefanski has done a better job in protecting Sanders than he did in terms of protecting Gabriel. Regardless of what people will say, Sanders wasn’t starting for a multitude of reasons. He was a project and the team treated him like a project. Sanders has made strides every week, and his coach is noticing it.

As far as the other topics surrounding Sanders (some are asinine), the two clearly have a relationship that has been working out so far.

It speaks volumes that Stefanski and Sanders are meeting with each other every day, and his teammates are noticing it. It speaks volumes that Sanders is being developed the right way, and he wants to get better every day.

What sense would it make for people to say that a head coach (who is trying to save his job) is trying to sabotage a rookie quarterback? Not much. If the Browns were to fire Stefanski, finding a head coach who is willing to come in and deal with the constant questions about Sanders isn’t something most want to deal with.

If the team chooses to keep Stefanski as their head coach, it could benefit both Sanders and Stefanski. It’s clear that both respect one another. Stefanski hasn’t had a quarterback that he has necessarily worked well with (one year with Baker Mayfield was the only year), and he’s had his fair share of quarterbacks to deal with. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for Sanders and Stefanski to work together in the future because it looks like the two are working together just fine.