Jets insider grills Shedeur Sanders for going mute on being QB3 for Browns despite Joe Flacco's benching

The Cleveland Browns changed quarterbacks on Wednesday. But Shedeur Sanders remains a backup. Dillon Gabriel was promoted to starter in place of Joe Flacco after a 1-3 start for the 41-year-old veteran; he was the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart since the end of training camp.

In recent weeks, there has been considerable expectation among Browns fans for Sanders to take over as the starter. However, the team clearly values Gabriel more. He was taken two rounds before the former Colorado quarterback and established himself as the primary backup for Flacco after the trade of Kenny Pickett.

When news broke about Gabriel becoming the starter, reporters quickly assembled around Shedeur's locker to hear his thoughts on the situation. Instead of talking, he pantomimed answers. Ultimately, his actions created even more controversy around him, and he was harshly criticized by Connor Hughes, a beat reporter from the New York Jets:

"This is the show teams knew they were getting and among the reasons he plummeted"

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Flacco's benching does not change the situation of Shedeur Sanders with the franchise. The veteran will now be the official backup for Gabriel, while Shedeur will serve as the emergency third quarterback.

Kevin Stefanski declines to answer why Joe Flacco remains ahead of Shedeur Sanders on depth chart

Browns fans were confused about the situation. Flacco, a 41-year-old veteran, was listed as the backup, while a rookie remains out of the picture. Reporters asked Kevin Stefanski why Shedeur Sanders was not promoted to No. 2 quarterback, but he declined to answer objectively:

“I know the quarterback position gets quite a bit of scrutiny, I understand that,” Stefanski said. “But this is about our entire team playing better."

The quarterback position has been a revolving door for the franchise. Since Stefanski became the head coach in 2020, no less than 11 quarterbacks have started at least a game for Cleveland. Gabriel is set to become the 12th.

As for Shedeur Sanders, if Stefanski decided to change his quarterback midway through a game, he could only enter the contest if both Gabriel and Flacco are ruled out through injury.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

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Edited by Henrique Bulio