Shedeur Sanders named Browns' backup quarterback behind Dillon Gabriel after Joe Flacco trade
Sanders is slated to be active when the Browns take on the Steelers on Sunday
•
1 min read
The Cleveland Browns quarterback depth chart experienced some shuffling this week when the team traded former starter Joe Flacco to the rival Cincinnati Bengals. Dillon Gabriel is set to make his second career start this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it will be Shedeur Sanders who serves as his backup, coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Friday.
Sanders was technically inactive as the Browns' emergency third quarterback for the first five games of the season. The son of NFL legend Deion Sanders was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 after he completed 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions at Colorado. He left college football with the highest career completion percentage (71.8%) in FBS history.
While he was a highly regarded quarterback prospect in this past draft class, Sanders fell all the way to the fifth round. His slide, according to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, was a reflection of how he carried himself through the pre-draft process. The Browns used the 144th pick to bring in Sanders after selecting Gabriel in the third round. Now Sanders is next in line to see the field if Gabriel is sidelined.
Shedeur Sanders says he can see 'light at the end of the tunnel' in Browns QB room after Joe Flacco trade
Robby Kalland
NFL Media reported last week that Sanders is expected to play at some point this season, but earlier this week on the heels of the Flacco trade, Stefanski was hesitant to immediately announce Sanders as Gabriel's backup for the Steelers game, saying he wanted to see how things progressed over the week of practice. The Browns have Bailey Zappe on the practice squad after he spent preseason with the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is Zappe's second stint in Cleveland, as he started the Browns' regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens last year, and completed 16 of 31 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 35-10 loss. Zappe was a fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2022 and went 4-4 as a starter in New England. He threw for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 14 games played. He will serve as Cleveland's third-string QB behind Gabriel and Sanders.
The Browns, who are 1-4 on the season, are 5.5-point underdogs (via FanDuel) in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
