Stephen A. Smith accuses Kevin Stefanski of intentionally having Shedeur Sanders unprepared to play: 'I don’t think that’s an accident'

Shedeur Sanders is set to make his first NFL start this Sunday on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, the conversation leading into the matchup has been dominated by pundits like Stephen A. Smith.

He leveled an explosive accusation toward Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski on First Take on Friday. That came after Sanders struggled mightily in relief of Dillon Gabriel last weekend against the Ravens.

The rookie quarterback completed just 4-of-17 passes for 47 yards and an interception in a 23–16 loss. But in Smith’s eyes, the performance wasn’t simply the result of being thrown into a difficult situation. It was the product of something more intentional.

Smith argued that Sanders was set up to fail on Friday’s show. He elaborated in a lengthy rant.

“It’s absolutely a make-or-break game for his future with the Browns,” Smith said, regarding this weekend’s clash. “In terms of his future in Cleveland? It’s this Sunday. He cannot go out there and look like trash. … But we’re not going to throw out excuses about him not having any time or any reps with the first team.”

Continuing, Smith pivoted sharply afterwards, shifting the criticism away from Sanders and directly onto Stefanski and Browns leadership.

“I don’t believe he was put in a position to succeed the other day. I don’t believe he’s been put in a position to succeed with the Cleveland Browns,” Smith added. “I view the Browns as a house divided. … I don’t know what the hell is going on, but collectively they are not doing everything they can to ensure his success.”

Then, the most pointed moment of his rant. Smith did not hide what he truly thought.

“You have a coach in Kevin Stefanski who’s a two-time Coach of the Year. This man knows what he’s doing. … But there is no way you can send a quarterback out there looking that lost, not having any cadence, any say, any reps whatsoever with the first team. No way,” he proclaimed. “That’s what happened. And I don’t think that’s an accident.”

Moreover, Smith clarified that he wasn’t reporting insider information, only giving his interpretation after watching Sanders struggle in live action. Still, he didn’t back off the implication that Stefanski, intentionally or not, set up his backup quarterback to fail.

With Sanders now getting full starter reps in practice and officially named the Week 12 starter, Smith proclaimed Sunday will reveal everything.

“I’m not telling you he has to look like a star,” he said. “But he cannot look completely clueless. … If it replicates what we saw last weekend, he’s not going to have a future in Cleveland. I don’t believe it for one second.”

It’ll all come to a head this weekend, as kickoff between the Browns and Raiders is set for 4:05 p.m. ET. Sanders’ future, at least according to Stephen A., hangs in the balance. We’ll see what he has in store.