"Cleveland didn't play like this a real football team": NFL analyst sounds off on Browns for mishandling Shedeur Sanders' role

Cleveland Browns v Detroit Lions - NFL 2025 - Source: Getty
NFL analyst sounds off on Browns for mishandling Shedeur Sanders' role - Source: Getty

The Cleveland Browns benched Joe Flacco for rookie Dillon Gabriel for the Week 5 clash against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Gabriel is not the starting quarterback for the team after the Browns traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.

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Flacco's trade meant that fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders will now be the backup to Gabriel on the quarterback depth chart. Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears discussed the situation on ESPN's "First Take."

Spears lamented the way the Browns handled the quarterback situation, especially the team not promoting Sanders to QB2 if they had already planned to trade Flacco to the Bengals.

"Because if you have Shedeur Sanders on the third-string quarterback, why wouldn't he be up for a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals to try to get to that quarterback spot and try to become a second-string guy?" Spears said. "The one issue that I have is that Cleveland played this like the media, they didn't play this like a real football team.
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"But this whole thing about moving Joe Flacco after you removed him as a starter to number two, and keeping Shedeur at number three, and now Joe Flacco is traded, you promote him to number two, who should have been there all along. Should have had this opportunity to be preparing like he was going to play in games. And for anybody that doesn't know football, you prepare as the number two guy to play... I just hate that we had to go through the semantics to get here."
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Although Gabriel is the starting quarterback for the Browns, Spears feels his job is under scrutiny and a poor performance from the rookie could lead to Sanders' promotion as the starter.

NFL analyst puzzled by Bengals trading Joe Flacco from Browns

The Bengals traded for Joe Flacco as franchise star Joe Burrow is unlikely to return before mid-December. According to reports, Flacco will be the starting quarterback until Burrow's return.

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However, Marcus Spears is puzzled by the trade as he feels Cincinnati would have been better off signing Jameis Winston or Russell Wilson instead of the former Browns veteran.

"I don't know what this move was about, but the first thing I thought about was, 'OK, let's bring in a statue to stand behind the offensive line that gets the quarterbacks hit, and then get better?'" Spears said.
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"Mobility is better. But this should've been Jameis Winston. Or even Russell Wilson. Like I just don't get the Flacco part of it. I don't get it."

Flacco is expected to make his Bengals debut when the team travels to Lambeau Field for their Week 6 clash against the Green Bay Packers.

Bengals Nation! Check out the latest Cincinnati Bengals Schedule and dive into the Bengals Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash
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