"He should be fired": NFL fans react as Kevin Stefanski refuses to consider Shedeur Sanders despite Dillon Gabriel’s rough outing vs. the Steelers

Kevin Stefanski named Shedeur Sanders the backup quarterback on Friday after his initial non-committal. However, the fifth-round pick is yet to make his debut for the Cleveland Browns, with the coach noting he never considered bringing him in against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The promotion has undoubtedly increased the possibility of seeing Sanders on the field. The reshuffle in the quarterback room came after the Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, just a day after Dillon Gabriel made his first start against the Minnesota Vikings.

While Gabriel had an impressive debut at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last week, the rookie quarterback didn't have it so smooth against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. He completed 29 of 52 passes for 221 yards without throwing for a touchdown.

This ignited the question of whether Kevin Stefanski considered introducing Shedeur Sanders at some point in the game. However, the coach noted that the thought never crossed his mind.

“No,” Stefanski said in his postgame press conference. “We were just trying to fight there till the end.”

The response of the coach has generated a lot of reactions among NFL fans. Many believe Sanders should have been introduced late in the game after Dillon’s struggle. Here's a look at some of the reactions online:

Ron Yoder

@yoder_ron

@MaryKayCabot He should be fired immediately

Polz

@Thepolz

@MaryKayCabot Of course he didn’t…because he’s a horrible coach.

Cynthia Nixon

@Nix99817Nixon

@MaryKayCabot Let them lose then🙏❤️

💥GREG💥 💑🐶🐶🇺🇸🍺🏈

@pegreg1992

@MaryKayCabot Time for a mid-season shake up…why be cautious?

Andrew Halka

@adhawk4002

@MaryKayCabot Of course..he knows sanders doesn’t fit the offensive system..

Corey Bryan

@wvucorndog

@MaryKayCabot We have a lot of issues……but Kevin is starting to feel like one.

Kevin Stefanski noted the need to protect Dillon Gabriel

Following the game against the Steelers on Sunday, Kevin Stefanski was full of praise for Dillon Gabriel, who, despite his struggles, showed some promise in the backfield. The coach emphasized the importance of supporting the rookie quarterback in maximizing his potential.

“He’s a tough kid," Stefanski said. "We’ve got to keep him clean. Obviously, when the game turns into how it turned a two-score game, you have to drop back, and that’s a tough team to drop back versus,. “He kept battling. Wasn’t for a lack of effort by him or by anybody.

“Made some plays, but we just got to be better. I think you learn in every game, win, lose or draw. And obviously, we know this kid’s tough. We know he’s tough. He’s going to keep fighting. We just got to around him, make some plays. We got to coach him up.”

It was Gabriel’s first 200+ yard game in the NFL, but he had a tough time in the backfield, recording a 55.8% completion and suffering six sacks. Kevin Stefanski, nonetheless, picked some positives out of the game for the quarterback on Sunday.