The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback battle has finally reached its conclusion. With Kenny Pickett traded and Tyler Huntley released, the franchise is left with Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders for the season, with the veteran set as the starter.
The biggest question then shifted to Sanders’ spot on the depth chart, and on Tuesday, the mystery ended. The Browns named Gabriel as the backup and the former Colorado star as the third option, and as expected, the fan reaction was overwhelmingly adverse.
Fans Call Out Browns For Placing Shedeur Sanders Behind Dillon Gabriel
When Sanders was selected in the fifth-round of the 2025 NFL Draft, there was already a sense that his path in the league would begin with challenges. Once projected as a top pick, he was drafted on the third day, and his status quickly shifted from star to supporting piece.
But even as just a fifth-round pick, his popularity among fans remained strong, and he quickly won over Browns supporters with his charisma and high ceiling established during his time as Colorado’s quarterback. Still, that did not stop Cleveland from listing him as the third quarterback on the roster for the season.
One fan posted on X: “They really hate Sanders.” The portion of the fan base that wanted to see the 23-year-old quarterback get early opportunities in his career was frustrated by the franchise placing him behind Gabriel, who never generated the same excitement or hype as Sanders.
They really hate sanders ‼️
— lil julio (@liljuliodadon) August 26, 2025
Another fan wrote, “There’s no way Dillon Gabriel is QB2 over Shedeur,” echoing the overall sentiment between the two rookies. The franchise always viewed Gabriel as the better option, even drafting him two rounds earlier than Sanders, despite most evaluations widely favoring the latter as the superior player.
There’s no way Dillon Gabriel is QB2 over Shedeur.
— Mike Said It FIRST (@msif_tv) August 26, 2025
As a result, trade requests have already begun to surface from Browns fans, who want Sanders to find an opportunity with another franchise. In Cleveland, he would need both quarterbacks ahead of him to either get injured or perform poorly before finally earning his chance, a remote and unlikely scenario in 2025.
TRADE 12 JUSTICE FOR SHEDEUR
— SS12Szn 💫 🧣 🥀🧉 (@RGen30) August 26, 2025
Even with off-field issues, Sanders captured fans’ hearts by being the media presence and former college star who established himself as the Browns’ leader in the NFL. The hope had once been that Baker Mayfield would fill that role in 2018, but his story with the franchise ended earlier than expected.
A fan posted on X: “Shedeur should just not report to practice and want out now before any game of his career is wasted.” The outrage over Sanders’ low placement on the depth chart is strong, but he showed maturity by stating he does not care about his spot on the roster as long as he is on it.
Shedeur should just not report to practice and want out now before any game of his career is wasted #browns https://t.co/M0rUWDiIbA
— Kyle Tucker Muse (ily pca) (@saddamefan27) August 26, 2025
For part of the fan base, the Browns never liked Sanders enough to give him a real chance to prove himself in the league. Those who were already fans of the quarterback would rather see him leave the franchise to find an opportunity elsewhere than wait in Cleveland and potentially waste the early years of his NFL career.
Shedeur needs to get out of Cleveland asap
— Mason (@MasonMLFC) August 26, 2025
The only certainty is that Cleveland stayed true to its pre-draft evaluation, keeping Gabriel as the immediate backup and the rookie they intend to develop for the future.
For Sanders, now that he has made the final roster for the season, the task is to keep battling for his place in the NFL and fix the issues that kept him away from being the starting quarterback this year.
