Shedeur Sanders took over as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback in Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The rookie began the season as the Browns’ third-string option behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel, but eventually climbed up to earn the starting role.

However, Skip Bayless has made a bold claim about how Sanders has been able to retain the starting role. The veteran analyst claims that Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is forcing Kevin Stefanski to start the former Colorado signal-caller ahead of Gabriel due to his friendship with Deion Sanders.

“I’m going to say this one last time about Kevin Stefanski because I’m tired of beating on him on this show. He did not want to draft Shadour at all in the fifth round or the sixth or the twelfth or the fifteenth round.

“And he didn’t want to play him. He wanted to stick with Dillon Gabriel until that crazy owner who gave Deshaun all that money finally said, No. 1, we’re going to take him in the fifth round for a publicity stunt because he wanted the publicity of it. He likes Deion, he likes Shedeur, they had dinner before the draft.

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“And then No. 2, it was Jimmy Haslam who said, ‘You will now play Shadour over Dillon Gabriel. I’ll bet you behind closed doors, off the record, off camera, he (Shedeur) didn’t like Kevin Stefanski.”

Shedeur Sanders made his debut against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 after Dillon Gabriel, who replaced Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback in Week 5, left the game with a concussion. After starting the next two games, Kevin Stefanski announced he will start for the rest of the season.

Tommy Rees commends Shedeur Sanders’ performance against the Bills

Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator was impressed with how Shedeur Sanders played against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. There’s been a mixed reaction to the performance, but Rees pointed out the positives he saw in the quarterback at Huntington Bank Field.

“Started really strong,” Rees said of Sanders. “I think positive-wise – we knew coverage-wise how they played, there was going to be some opportunities to create with your legs when they’re matching as much as they do with two-high. Thought he did a really nice job there on a number of occasions.

“He was good in the pocket when he needed to escape, and then some of the action game when they were playing two-high, matching coverage, either finding Q (Quinshon Judkins) or finding guys underneath to keep the sticks efficient was really a positive for him. I thought he felt very comfortable throughout the game.”

Shedeur Sanders completed 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown against the Bills on Sunday. He, however, threw two interceptions and suffered two sacks. Nonetheless, it was a step in the right direction for the rookie, according to Rees, as the season wraps up.