The Cleveland Browns’ decision to start Dillon Gabriel in Week 5 hasn’t changed the way they feel about Shedeur Sanders.
However, contrary to what many of his fans feel, that’s not a bad thing.
If anything, they’re doing right by him.
At least, that seems to be the sentiment within the organization, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Talking on the NFL Network, Rapoport claimed that the Browns are still high on Sanders and will probably give him a chance at some point.
“I did hear about the other quarterback. There are a lot of things inside the Browns building that they like about Shedeur Sanders. His innate feel in a football game, they like his ability, they like how cool he is under pressure. It just doesn’t seem, as of right now, that he’s ready to be a starting quarterback, which is okay. That was what they believed when they drafted him. That’s why he went in the fifth round. Will we get a look at him later in the season? It does sound like we probably will,” Rapoport said.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: What about Shedeur Sanders? pic.twitter.com/SuiVbkQfni
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 1, 2025
Nevertheless, they just don’t think he’s ready to be a backup or take the field right now, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
That’s why Sanders slipped all the way to the fifth round; he’s just not ready.
That’s not to say that he won’t get an opportunity or that they think he’s a bust; it just means that they think that he still has plenty of hurdles to clear before earning the right to take the field.
Joe Flacco, on the other hand, is in a better position to lead the offense as a backup, even with the way he’s played.
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