The Cleveland Browns shipped out veteran Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals this week, marking a reshuffling of the quarterback room.
Rookie Dillon Gabriel remains the starter after his first appearance against the Minnesota Vikings in London, England, last week, but the backup quarterback position remains open for Cleveland's remaining signal-callers on the roster, Shedeur Sanders and Bailey Zappe.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski remained noncommittal when asked to name a backup at his press conference today, and revealed what Sanders would have to do to earn that job.
Kevin Stefanski alludes to Shedeur Sanders needing more time to develop
Stefanski said there wasn't one specific thing Sanders had to do to earn the backup gig and emphasized the importance of his players' long-term development, and not thrusting them into a role they're not ready for.
"I wouldn't say there's one thing you need to see. In my role, I have to do what's best for our players, our team, and I'm very, very invested in our player development, our young players' development, our quarterback development. So, any decision I make, I want to just make sure that I'm doing what's right for our players," Stefanski said via ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.
While not specific, the two-time Coach of the Year implies that Sanders is still in the developmental stages of his career and is not yet ready to be the backup quarterback weekly.
The former Colorado Buffalo did not speak to the media this week, but wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was asked about Sanders and gave a promising answer.
"He's been doing a great job of being a pro and doing what he needs to do to be able to once he gets his chance to take advantage of it. That's all we can ask for him to do: Once he gets his opportunity, just take advantage of it," Jeudy said.
In the meantime, Sanders will likely remain in the emergency third-string quarterback role, as he eagerly awaits his shot as the Browns' starting quarterback.
More Browns news:
- Shedeur Sanders gets poor update on Browns starting job after Joe Flacco trade
- Shedeur Sanders sent warning after Dillon Gabriel's first Browns start
- Jerry Jeudy reveals how he feels about new Browns starter Dillon Gabriel
- Browns' Myles Garrett raves about rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel
- Deion Sanders reacts to Shedeur Sanders' pantomime response to Browns starting Dillon Gabriel
- ESPN analyst gives Shedeur Sanders advice after Dillon Gabriel gets the starting job