Browns would be doing Shedeur Sanders a disservice by making him QB2 against Steelers

The Cleveland Browns always seem to have some sort of drama at the quarterback position. Unfortunately, this week's drama has no real positives to discuss.

The front office decided to trade Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals to begin the week. Dillon Gabriel remains the starter, leaving Shedeur Sanders and Bailey Zappe behind him on the depth chart. That was not exactly the plan shared by the team during training camp.

Sanders would logically be the backup this week by default. However, head coach Kevin Stefanski refused to commit to that being the case when speaking with the media today.

Kevin Stefanski will NOT commit to Shedeur Sanders as QB2. #DawgPound

via @MaryKayCabot

pic.twitter.com/yYbPNsMfkw
— BIGPLAY (@BIGPLAY) October 8, 2025

For everyone's sake, it would be wise to make Zappe the backup and keep Sanders as the emergency third quarterback. Yet such a decision would not be because of anything negative Sanders has done. Rather, it is for his own protection and future success.

Let's look at the reality of the situation. The Browns seemed to have a plan to start either Flacco or Kenny Pickett at quarterback this year, allowing the two rookies to learn from the sidelines. They weren't first-round quarterbacks, so them seeing the field at all would mean something went wrong.

And wrong things went. Gabriel was already the starter in Week 5 in a game played in London, and is set to make his second start on the road in Pittsburgh. While he is mature and appears mentally ready to play, this was never the plan so early in his rookie season.

Then there is Sanders, the quarterback who fell all the way to the fifth round after rumors he could go as high as No. 2 overall. He clearly needs a lot of development at the NFL level, and is getting that in practice and by running scout team. He is only 23 years old and based on his draft position, is not an NFL-ready starter at this point.

Putting him in the backup role may only set him up for failure. Yes, Sanders could get into a game and light it up, becoming the savior. But he would be at an immediate disadvantage after not preparing as the starter for the entire week in practice.

That is why Zappe may end up being the backup this week. Yes, this may enrage fans of the Browns and those who are just fans of Sanders. But would it be worth it have him potentially get on the field with a shaky offensive line, and against the top team in the division?

Gabriel is the starter because Flacco lacked any mobility and could not find any connections with his receivers. He ran an extremely conservative gameplan in London and is not being set up for long-term success.

The least the Browns could do is protect Sanders from a similar fate. If they want to make him the starter, he deserves a full week of proper preparation.