Take it from the man himself — the Browns put Shedeur Sanders on the best path to develop him into an NFL quarterback. Sanders will make his sixth start when the Browns host the Steelers on Dec. 28 at Huntington Bank Field. He has had some “Wow!” moments, like the 60-yard touchdown pass he thr ew to Jerry Jeudy in the 31-29 loss to the Titans on Dec. 7. He also has had some “Oh, no!” moments, like when he threw three interceptions against the Bears and two against the Bills. He gets a pass on one of his picks in the Chicago game because Jeudy let a perfectly thrown ball slip through his hands. “When you look at a defensive structure, and you have a play called, so much of the quarterback position is solving the problem and having the answer quickly,” offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said Dec. 24. “You saw (Sanders) process that information and get through his answers on time and allow us to be efficient (against the Bills).” However his play is dissected, Sanders is clearly playing better than he did in the second half of the game with the Ravens on Nov. 16 when he had to take over for Dillon Gabriel, who was knocked out with a concussion just before halftime. Sanders at that point hadn’t taken any snaps with the first-team offense in practice. Shedeur Sanders says the struggles he had in the #Ravens game in his first action as the #Browns quarterback made him better. He has learned through failure. @ShedeurSanders pic.twitter.com/DEK7nnaB60 — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) December 23, 2025 The improvement shows. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown pass and two interceptions against the Bills. He put the Browns in position to win the game, but they came up short, 23-20. “I would say I improved in experience,” Sanders said Dec. 23 on a Zoom conference. “I improved being in situations and understanding that failing — I think those are all building blocks to be able to have success. “I think sometimes you have to fail in certain areas, and I like the route that basically it took, and I like how everything went because it’s a lot of great building blocks that I’m able to learn from when it comes to life, when it comes to just me being a part of the organization. When I look back today, and I look back at everything, I’m super appreciative that everything happened how it happened.” Gabriel, a third-round pick, was 1-5 in games he started. He threw six touchdown passes and two interceptions as a starter. He completed 58.8 percent of his passes. His longest completion was 24 yards. Sanders, a fifth-round pick, is 1-4 as a starter. He was 4 of 16 subbing for Gabriel in the Ravens game, which the Browns led, 16-6, at halftime. The Browns netted just 64 yards with Sanders at the controls. Despite all the misfires and retreating at the first sign the Ravens’ pass rush broke through his protection, Sanders had a chance to be a hero when the Browns took the ball on the Cleveland 35 with 2:35 remaining after the Ravens took a 23-16 lead. But the drive died on a fourth-down incomplete pass at the Baltimore 25. “Going out there versus a great defense like the Ravens and not playing my best, but at the same time, that last drive, that’s when I felt comfortable,” Sanders said. “That’s when I knew I could get back to being myself. That’s when I could feel. So, I think everything’s about feel, and I’m thankful that I have that feeling.” Kevin Stefanski bashers with blind loyalty to Sanders say the Browns’ head coach purposely sabotaged Sanders, that he set the rookie up to fail. That simply is not true. The Browns are 3-12. Stefanski’s job is not secure. Sanders failing does Stefanski no good. It is not the coach’s fault that left guard Joel Bitonio is the only healthy starter on the offensive line. Nor is it Stefanski’s fault that tight end David Njoku has a knee injury and that two of the wide receivers — Isaiah Bond and Gage Larvadain — were undrafted. None of those issues is accelerating Sanders’ development. “I have all the faith in the world in Shedeur,” Stefanski said when asked about a fourth-and-2 play in the Buffalo game that resulted in Sanders being sacked for 13 yards. “I would say with all positions, but certainly the quarterback position, we spend a lot of time together. So, we’re in meetings, we talk about every scenario known to man. “So, I get to see the work that our guys put into it. I get to see the work that Shedeur puts into his craft on a daily basis — in meetings, on the field. So that’s where the trust comes from, player-to-player, that’s where trust comes from, player-to-coach, just that we’re working at it together. So, I think that’s the biggest thing.” Trust is important to Sanders. He has used the word at least a dozen times since being named the starter. He sounded almost relieved to be reminded that Stefanski trusts him. “It means a lot, because having the coaches’ trust is a big thing,” Sanders said. “In this game, you build trust. I think you get trust and you earn the trust of the coach by getting completions, by moving the ball down the field and doing what we did last game. So, I think that’s how you build trust.” The unknown with two games to play is whether Stefanski and Sanders will both be part of the Browns in 2026 to build on that trust. Kevin Stefanski's job security remains a hot topic entering the Browns' game against the Steelers on Dec. 28. (Tim Phillis - For The News-Herald) Steelers at Browns When: 1 p.m., Dec. 28 Where: Huntington Bank Field Records: Steelers 9-6, Browns 3-12 TV: WOIO/CBS ...read more read less