When the Cleveland Browns made the shocking decision to trade veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday, most assumed that rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders could potentially be in line to be promoted to be the No. 2 quarterback in Cleveland. But according to Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, that possibility is no guarantee.
Interestingly, the Browns did name Sanders the No. 2 quarterback on the team in their depth chart released just hours after the Flacco trade. But still, Stefanski wasn’t ready to officially announce that Sanders was the primary backup to Dillon Gabriel for the team’s Week 6 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Stefanski spoke publicly about the decision to trade Flacco on Wednesday and what that may mean for Shedeur Sanders. And while Stefanski didn’t rule out Sanders being the No. 2 quarterback of the Browns in Week 6, he explained that he plans to make that decision later in the week.
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“I’ll let the week play out and then make a decision,” said Stefanski.
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At this point, it’s unclear who Sanders is even competing with for the No. 2 quarterback position going into Week 6. Deshaun Watson has yet to be cleared to return to practice, remaining on the physically unable to perform list.
There has been speculation that the Browns could elevate Bailey Zappe from their practice squad in light of the Flacco trade. And if this happens, he could serve as the only competition for Sanders for the No. 2 quarterback position in Cleveland for Week 6.
Regardless, this statement from Stefanski shows that Sanders may still have a long way to go to gain the favor of the Browns coaching staff. So it will be interesting to see whether Sanders can impress Stefanski and the Browns coaching staff enough to earn the right to be the primary backup for Gabriel in Week 6.
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