The Cleveland Browns have a new starting quarterback.
Dillon Gabriel will get the nod in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings in London.
However, once again, most of the talk has been about the third-stringer.
Instead of analyzing the rookie starter, the media is focused on Shedeur Sanders, who remains QB3 behind Gabriel and benched veteran Joe Flacco.
For example, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick used his time to talk about how Sanders needs to make the most of this changing situation.
“If you’re Shedeur right now, here’s your opportunity. Here’s your opportunity to get more reps because now, truly, they don’t want to go back to Joe Flacco. You don’t take him out because you want to go back to him at some point in time. If you’re Shedeur Sanders right now, whatever you’re doing, I’m taking it up a whole other level, because Dillon is not promised to stay in there,” Riddick said.
"If you're Shedeur Sanders right now, whatever you're doing, I'm taking it up a whole other level, because Dillon [Gabriel] is not promised to stay in there."
—@LRiddickESPN on Dillon Gabriel being named Browns' starting QB pic.twitter.com/eVogt3Vps1
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 1, 2025
Granted, Gabriel isn’t guaranteed to be the starter for the rest of the season, and this is, in fact, a big opportunity for Sanders.
Then again, the fact that Flacco’s benching wasn’t enough to bump up Sanders on the depth chart only means that he’s not as far along as he should be.
Sanders was a fifth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, and national networks rarely, if ever, talk about those.
He’s also the third-string/emergency quarterback on a sub-.500 team, which, again, rarely draws any type of attention.
If anything, this should fuel Gabriel even more.
He should be extremely motivated to prove that people need to stop overlooking and disrespecting him.
This is his moment, and there’s no reason people should be talking so much about his backup’s backup right now.
This may have been one of the many reasons why every NFL team passed on Sanders over and over in the draft.
No organization needs this type of attention on a player who’s not ready to take the field.
NEXT: Details Emerge About Why Shedeur Sanders Is Staying QB3
