The Cleveland Browns have one less quarterback on their roster after they traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, but that does not necessarily mean Shedeur Sanders has earned a promotion.
As of Wednesday, Sanders and starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel were the only quarterbacks remaining on Cleveland’s active roster in the wake of the Flacco trade. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked by a reporter if that means Sanders is now officially No. 2 on the depth chart, but the coach did not sound ready to commit to that.
Stefanski said the Flacco trade was “not something that we saw coming” and that he has not made any final decisions about how the move impacts the depth chart.
“We’re still working through all roster-type things. I always have to be mindful of our players and our players’ development,” Stefanski said. “I want to make sure that Im always doing what’s best for our players, and of course our team. With young players, I’m always thinking about … last week, making the change to Dillon, you have to think long and hard about that because these are young players that you’re so invested in their development. I’ll let the week play out and make a decision on that.”
#Browns Kevin Stefanski will wait until later in the week to decide if Shedeur Sanders will be the No. 2 vs #Steelers: pic.twitter.com/xlp48mT1Yz
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 8, 2025
The Browns could potentially elevate Bailey Zappe from their practice squad and have him serve as the primary backup for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A report on Saturday claimed Stefanski wants Sanders to get playing time at some point in 2025, but only after the team caters a specific game plan to the former Colorado star’s strengths.
Gabriel went 19/33 for 190 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions in Cleveland’s 21-17 Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. If the former Oregon star does not play well enough to keep his job, Sanders should be the next man up.
