Ahead of Week 5 for the Cleveland Browns, more eyes have been zoned into their quarterback room due to the fact that Joe Flacco will be headed to the bench in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel.
This will be Gabriel’s first career NFL start and comes after Flacco (an 18-year veteran) struggled across four starts and led the Browns to a 1-3 record. But, these changes also leave more questions as to what’s going on with rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders.
Why Isn’t Shedeur Sanders Seeing Action for the Cleveland Browns?
Sanders is a fifth-round pick (No. 144 overall) who has endured a whirlwind of a year. He went from a projected first-rounder and Heisman vote recipient, playing under his father at Colorado, to getting selected on day three of the draft.
He put forth a valiant effort to get himself into the quarterback battle during Week 1 of the preseason, but to no avail.
Quite simply, Sanders isn’t yet starting for the Browns because Gabriel is ahead of him on the team’s depth chart, and has been since Cleveland selected both in the 2025 NFL Draft. He is listed as Cleveland’s No. 3 QB on the depth chart, behind Gabriel and Flacco.
In the preseason, Sanders started and saw action against the Carolina Panthers. He showed an ability to make tight-window completions. The 23-year-old played most of the contest, completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 Browns victory.
Sanders was initially the QB4 in Cleveland, but Kenny Pickett’s trade to the Las Vegas Raiders moved him up in the depth chart.
Flacco’s benching due to turnovers and ineffectiveness may get Sanders closer to seeing the field. Heading into Week 5, the veteran quarterback was ranked 34th at his position based on PFSN’s Quarterback Impact metric. However, it doesn’t mean the signal-caller will immediately see game-day reps.
What does the future hold for Shedeur Sanders? 👇👇👇 https://t.co/wcKI1HOfDZ pic.twitter.com/tD6k6L118D
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2025
The Athletic reported that the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski always viewed Sanders as a developmental prospect worthy of a fifth-round shot, but not necessarily a real immediate option.
Despite his demotion, Flacco is expected to transition to serving as Gabriel’s backup. That leaves Sanders in his previously mentioned current role as Cleveland’s third-string quarterback, making him unlikely to be active on game day.
While not much will change for Sanders in the short term, depending on how things play out for the Browns in the long run, he may have a better long-term outlook after Flacco’s benching.
The Browns and Gabriel take on the Minnesota Vikings (2-2) on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. EST over international waters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.