Browns' handling of Shedeur Sanders after Joe Flacco trade explained

As Jason Lloyd of The Athletic noted on Thursday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski "will likely" promote Bailey Zappe from the practice squad to the active roster so Zappe can serve as the club's primary backup quarterback over rookie Shedeur Sanders for this coming Sunday's game at the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1).

During the latest edition of the "Orange and Brown Talk Podcast," Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer explained why Sanders may remain Cleveland's emergency third-string quarterback after the club traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.

Browns don't want to set Shedeur Sanders up to fail

"When Shedeur Sanders goes into a football game for the very first time, I think it should be with a game plan that is uniquely suited for his skill set to help him look good and to maximize what he’s able to do as a football player," Cabot said. "When you put Shedeur in, you have to tailor the game plan exactly, perfect, precisely, perfectly to him, or you’re setting him up to fail." 

Cabot essentially echoed a previous report that suggested the Browns could keep Sanders sidelined until they choose to give him "a full week of practice and a game plan built for him" as their starter. 2025 third-round draft choice Dillon Gabriel is on track to remain in the lineup after he completed 19-of-33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland's 21-17 Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

During the podcast, Cabot mentioned that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and star pass-rusher T.J. Watt will look to take advantage of Cleveland's weaknesses at the tackle positions regardless of who is under center at Acrisure Stadium.

"All it takes is one concussion check and one independent neurologist to say [Gabriel is] not going back in the football game, and it’s Shedeur’s game," Cabot said about Sanders possibly being Cleveland's QB2 in Pittsburgh. "And I just don’t think you need to put yourself through that right now or put him through that right now." 

Analyst sounds alarms about what Dillon Gabriel is, isn't

For a piece published on Thursday, The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner wrote that Gabriel's "arm talent is simply below average" for an NFL QB. Baumgardner also feels that the Browns "can only ask [Gabriel] to do so much" until Sanders is deemed ready to start. 

For now, it seems like Sanders will remain an inactive spectator for at least another game. As of Thursday afternoon, ESPN BET had the 1-4 Browns as 6.5-point underdogs against the Steelers.