The Cleveland Browns have a lot of faith in rookie Dillon Gabriel. Cleveland traded away Joe Flacco on Tuesday, leaving Gabriel unopposed as the team's starting quarterback. But that also means that Shedeur Sanders is now a backup quarterback for the Browns.
ESPN's Marcus Spears shared his thoughts on Sanders becoming Cleveland's backup quarterback.
“The first thing it means is he's one play away,” Spears said on Wednesday via First Take. “[Sanders] is one play away, one bad game away, one decision away from getting into an actual NFL regular season game where it means something.”
Spears explained that he did not approve of how Cleveland handled their depth chart following the benching of Joe Flacco.
“Here is my issue with how Cleveland has played this,” Spears continued. “The one issue I have is Cleveland played this like the media. They didn't play this like a real football team. Shedeur Sanders… should have been the second-string quarterback once Joe Flacco was removed from the starting job.”
Spears also argued that Sanders should have received more practice reps prior to the Flacco trade. Now he'll need them as a backup quarterback.
“It goes back to what I talked about during the preseason,” Spears added. “[Sanders] should have been getting reps and preparing like the guy that's going to have to come into the game if something goes awry in the quarterback room.”
Ultimately, Spears is happy with Sanders finally becoming a backup quarterback in Cleveland.
“I think this is great for Shedeur to be the number two guy,” Spears concluded.
Shedeur Sanders' humble reaction to Browns trading Joe Flacco
Sanders is not known for his mature responses to situations with the Browns.
But he surprised everyone by offering a humble response when asked about the recent Joe Flacco trade.
“He was definitely somebody I leaned on for wisdom,” Sanders said on Tuesday, per John Sabol of Fox 8. “He helped me a lot in his time being here in Cleveland. Everybody has their own destinies and their own plans they have in life. I'm just happy for him.”
It should be no surprise that a veteran quarterback like Flacco would take a youngster like Sanders under his wing. Especially during training camp and the preseason when veteran cede some practice reps to younger players.
It will be interesting to see how Sanders' demeanor changes, if at all, now that he is Cleveland's backup quarterback.
Next up for the Browns is a Week 6 matchup against the Steelers.
