Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski still hasn’t decided who the backup quarterback will be. This confusion comes on the heels of the team’s trade of Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday. This unexpected shakeup drastically alters the team’s quarterback landscape. Rookie Shedeur Sanders, son of head coach Deion Sanders, has risen to No. 2 on the depth chart.
Flacco, a 38-year-old, four-time Pro Bowler, was traded to the Bengals with a 2026 sixth-round pick. In exchange, the Browns got a 2025 fifth-round pick. The Browns were clearly caught off guard by the move. For his part, Stefanski noted that it was the Bengals who came to the table first about Flacco.
Even Stefanski himself was shocked at the trade. From a short-term development perspective, one thing he gets right is his faith in the QBs already on roster. “Need to work through it all. Again, really like the guys we have. We just got to work through all it,” he stated.
Shedeur Sanders was selected as the 144th pick in the 2025 draft. He has not played at all during the first five games of the regular season. Perhaps it’s because for as little as he’s played, both Stefanski and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy have talked up Sanders. They respect his professionalism and his steadfast commitment. Jeudy remarked, “He’s been doing a great job of being a pro and doing what he needs to do to be able to, once he gets his chance, to take advantage of it.“
Dillon Gabriel is another rookie quarterback on the Browns’ roster, alongside Sanders, while Bailey Zappe currently serves as a practice squad quarterback. This group’s relative inexperience is worrisome. Who would be the next man up should something happen to Flacco and we need a one-game savior.
Given the uncertainty at the position, Stefanski decided against naming a backup QB. He chose to let the week play out before deciding what, if anything, to do. “I wouldn’t say there’s one thing you need to see [from Sanders],” he said when asked about what he expects from his rookie quarterback.
He acknowledged Sanders’ progress, stating, “he’s doing an excellent job with his rehab,” indicating that Sanders is working diligently to prepare for potential game opportunities.
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