The Cleveland Browns have finally decided to bench veteran quarterback Joe Flacco after four straight disappointing offensive performances. HC Kevin Stefanski has chosen to start rookie Dillon Gabriel beginning in Week 5, which many believed would also open up an opportunity for fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders on the roster.
However, that was not the case. Stefanski kept Sanders as the team’s third quarterback on the depth chart, with Flacco serving as the immediate backup behind Gabriel. NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper weighed in on what this decision means for Sanders within the Browns’ long-term project.
Mel Kiper Suggests Shedeur Sanders Might Never Start a Game For the Browns for Non-Injury Reasons
Sanders’ NFL career got off to the worst possible start. From draft day, when he unexpectedly slid from the first round to the fifth, being taken by a team that had already drafted another quarterback two rounds earlier and signed two veterans in the offseason, it became clear he wasn’t evaluated as a star in the draft process.
That became even clearer once practices began, as Sanders wasn’t given early opportunities and only saw first-team reps after injuries to Kenny Pickett and Gabriel. In preseason action, he struggled to keep up with the NFL’s faster pace and never showed real command of the offense.
Now, with Gabriel named the starter, something expected if Flacco couldn’t elevate the unit, the assumption was that Sanders would also move up. Instead, the Browns chose to keep him as the third quarterback on the depth chart. Asked what this means for Sanders, Kiper offered a pessimistic view of the young quarterback’s reality.
“There’s a chance that Dillon Gabriel’s out there showing promise. Like I said, I believe that it’s a third-round pick. He was Kevin Stefanski’s guy. Then I would say, yeah, that’s a chance,” Kiper said, responding to a question about the possibility of Sanders only becoming a starter if the other quarterbacks go down with injuries.
Is there a chance Shedeur Sanders never starts a game for non-injury related reasons for the Cleveland Browns? @MelKiperESPN https://t.co/FLnceLIYPn pic.twitter.com/SltNRLzHOo
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) October 1, 2025
Comparing the two rookies’ performances in the preseason, while Sanders had a relatively solid first game, what hurt his status was the high number of sacks, many of them self-inflicted. Gabriel was sacked just twice, while Sanders went down seven times, five of those in a single game.
MORE: NFL Insider Boldly Predicts When Shedeur Sanders Might Replace Dillon Gabriel As Browns QB1
Gabriel threw a bad pick-six, but he showed composure in his outings and a stronger ability to operate within the offense’s structure, whereas Sanders often looked like he was forcing big plays to improve how the coaching staff viewed him.
“Now, if he has some struggles, or he looks a little overwhelmed, or an injury occurs… They have to assess him (Sanders). And they certainly would like to be able to assess Shedeur Sanders. But you’re not going to do that. You’re not going to pull Dillon Gabriel just to give Shedeur a chance if Dillon is showing progress,” Kiper added.
The decision to keep Flacco at least as the backup quarterback is another tough blow for Sanders in his still short NFL career, and a clear sign that he has a long way to go before earning Stefanski’s trust and that of the rest of the coaching staff.
