The Cleveland Browns are rolling with a new quarterback.
Dillon Gabriel will make his first career start on Sunday in London against the Minnesota Vikings.
Shedeur Sanders, however, will remain QB3.
And while some fans and even some athletes have criticized that decision, former NFL player Ross Tucker believes that’s the right decision.
“I think that they recognize, if they made him the number two quarterback, then they would be setting him up to fail. The number two quarterback gets almost no reps during the week, and that’s especially the case if the starter is a rookie. They’re trying get Dillon Gabriel prepared to play in a game. The backup has to be a guy that can function with zero reps. That does not appear to be the case with Shedeur Sanders. If [Flacco] has to go in there, he’ll be fine. I think if something happened to Gabriel, and you put Shedeur in, it could be ugly ugly, like real bad. If he had to go out there against Flores’ defense with zero reps during the week,” Tucker said.
They need the backup to be someone who can function with zero reps in the week.
That’s Joe Flacco, someone who’s been there and done that for a long time, and who could be sent out there if Gabriel gets hurt on Sunday.
As for Sanders, he thinks that things could get extremely ugly if they send him to the field against Brian Flores’ defense if he doesn’t have any reps in the week.
Simply put, Sanders isn’t ready to be one play away from taking the field.
Tucker was in the league, and he understands and knows how things work.
That’s why it’s so disappointing to see other former athletes pushing agendas and talking about how the Browns are disrespecting Sanders, a rookie fifth-round pick, by not making him Gabriel’s backup.
There are no handouts in the National Football League, and players must be ready to get a chance.
That’s not to say Sanders won’t be ready to be a backup at some point, perhaps even pretty soon, but that’s simply not the case now.
NEXT: Grant Delpit Sends Message To International Fans About Browns
