Sportsnaut
The Cleveland Browns‘ seven-man rookie class is drawing rave reviews thanks to strong starts from Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin, and Dylan Sampson. On Sunday, quarterback Dillon Gabriel made his first start. The only one who hasn’t played? Shedeur Sanders. So far.
The fifth-round pick was the last player selected by the Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, after 143 other athletes were selected before him. In other words, his career has been all about waiting thus far.
However, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “the expectation is that Sanders will play at some point” this season. However, the ideal situation would be when he can enter the game as a starter, with a game plan specifically tailored to his skillset, rather than one that better suits Joe Flacco or Gabriel.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that Gabriel runs away with the job, never allowing Sanders to see the light of day in a Browns uniform. Yet, now that Flacco has been benched, the odds of Sanders getting into a game have dramatically increased.
He may not be the backup to Gabriel, but Rapoport indicated that was likely due to Flacco simply having more experience, thus being more prepared to enter a game in a pinch.
With Sanders playing on a four-year contract, chances are he’ll get his opportunity. It may not come today, it may not happen next week, it may not even happen this year. But until the Browns identify their next franchise quarterback, the door will be wide open for anyone to take over, including Sanders.
Related: Week 5 NFL QB Rankings
More must-reads:
