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When Dillon Gabriel was named the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback prior to Week 5, Shedeur Sanders’ role remained unchanged as the third quarterback and Joe Flacco became the backup.
However, even with Flacco now on the Cincinnati Bengals, it remains to be seen if Sanders will get the promotion to be the backup.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski did not commit to Sanders as a backup, and Bailey Zappe was elevated to the practice squad, drawing the ire of ESPN analyst Ryan Clark.
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Ryan Clark said the Cleveland Browns and Shedeur Sanders should “part ways” if he is not named the backup quarterback. (Getty Images)
“Yeah [Sanders] is not named backup quarterback, it’s time to part ways. It’s time to change it. It’s time to get it out of your wardrobe. Because his development plan is not to develop Shedeur Sanders as a future starter for his team, and a lot of things come with him if he doesn’t see that type of plan for him,” Clark said on Thursday’s edition of “First Take.”
Flacco will start for the Bengals on Sunday after Jake Browning lost each of his three starts due to Joe Burrow’s injury.
“Well, the first thing I would tell you is that the Joe trade took us by surprise,” Stefanski said Wednesday. “That wasn’t something we saw coming. You know, they called us up, and it happened very quickly and not too long ago. So I continue to work on all kinds of things on the roster. I always have to be aware of our players and their development, and I want to make sure that I’m always doing the best for our players and, of course, our team. But, with the young players, I’m always thinking about last week, making the move to Dillon (Gabriel).
Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Huntington Bank Field on September 21, 2025 in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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“You have to think a lot about that because these are young players that you’re very involved in developing. So I’ll let the week go by and make a decision later.”
Stefanski referred to Zappe as the “elder statesman right now” given his history as a starter in games for the New England Patriots. He also mentioned that Deshaun Watson is providing some leadership despite not being able to play this season.
Stefanski made the decision last week to have Gabriel, who was drafted two rounds ahead of Sanders in April, make his first NFL start in London against the Minnesota Vikings. Gabriel threw two touchdowns in his first start, but the Vikings rallied late to beat the Browns, 21-17, and Cleveland fell to 1-4.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders against the Philadelphia Eagles during a game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 16, 2025. (Kyle Ross/Image Images)
Sanders has not commented on being stuck in the third row last week, instead pantomiming when asked about it. However, he reacted to the Flacco trade.
“I’m happy for him,” Sanders said.
