Browns HC explains handling of Shedeur Sanders after Joe Flacco trade

Shortly after the Cleveland Browns traded Week 1 starting quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7, the club promoted rookie Shedeur Sanders to the QB2 spot on the depth chart behind first-year starter Dillon Gabriel. 

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that Sanders is not receiving reps with the starting offense during midweek practices. 

Why Shedeur Sanders isn't getting first-team reps 

"With a young quarterback, with Dillon starting, you want to make sure he gets a lot of the reps. It's different when you have a veteran with Joe," Stefanski said about the situation, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. Stefanski added that Sanders is "still getting reps in a bunch of periods."

Gabriel lost his first two starts following the Flacco trade before the Miami Dolphins committed four turnovers en route to suffering a blowout 31-6 loss at the Browns on Sunday. Thus far, Gabriel has been serviceable, at best, while serving as Cleveland's QB1. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Gabriel enters Week 8 ranked 31st in the league among qualified players with a 30.4 adjusted QBR, 27th with an 82.5 passer rating and last with an average of 5.1 yards gained per pass attempt. Over his 107 total passes, he tallied three touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

Will Dillon Gabriel be more aggressive vs. Patriots?

A common complaint from Browns fans eager to see what Sanders could bring to Cleveland's offense is that Gabriel has been too cautious since replacing Flacco under center. On Wednesday, Stefanski said that Gabriel will need to take a smart risk or two during Sunday's game against the New England Patriots (5-2). 

"You want to be smart, aggressive. You don't want to just be conservative for the sake of being conservative," Stefanski explained, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. "So it's a balance there, and we coach our quarterbacks to be aggressive when the time calls for it and let it rip, and then also understanding that taking care of the football is a big part of our job." 

As of Wednesday afternoon, ESPN BET listed the 2-5 Browns as 6.5-point underdogs against the Patriots. Some Cleveland fans will likely push for the team to consider Sanders after their Week 9 bye if Sunday's game turns into a tough matchup.