Browns make decision on Shedeur Sanders’ role

The Cleveland Browns have finally made their decision on Shedeur Sanders’ role going forward.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced Friday that Sanders will be in uniform Sunday and will serve as Dillon Gabriel’s backup at quarterback. This confirms that Sanders will be promoted to QB2 following Joe Flacco’s trade to Cincinnati.

The Browns had left this open-ended earlier in the week, even though it was a safe assumption to make following the Flacco trade. Stefanski had left the door open to promoting Bailey Zappe from the practice squad to fill the role instead. Zappe has more NFL experience than Sanders, which might have been valued given Gabriel is also a rookie.

In theory, this leaves Sanders just one play away from getting into a regular season game. Some fans had hoped for this after the Browns made him their fifth-round pick following his stunning fall in April’s NFL Draft. The team has not exactly shown a ton of enthusiasm for Sanders since picking him, and Gabriel’s development has been prioritized from the start.

Despite that, reports have indicated Sanders is likely to play at some point this season, with the Browns simply wanting to pick the right circumstances. An injury to Gabriel could force their hand, which was not necessarily the case before.