Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders has officially gotten antsy about getting onto the field, proclaiming that he can provide better quarterback play for the Browns than most of the league’s current standard under center.
Unfortunately, even though Sanders’ opinion has changed, head coach Kevin Stefanski’s has not. The “Grown QB” will continue to sit, and even Dillon Gabriel, who impressed in training camp and the preseason, may be waiting a bit before getting his chance.
As Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot wrote, Cleveland traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders because of Gabriel. But that still won’t expedite the timeline Stefanski, GM Andrew Berry, and owner Jimmy Haslem have for the soon-to-be 25-year-old rookie.
“While the Browns continue to bring their rookie QBs along, they obviously feel Gabriel is ready. It’s why they felt comfortable trading Kenny Pickett to the Raiders for a fifth-round pick. But they also likely believe he’d benefit from more time as the backup, learning how to assimilate gameplans and preparing to start,” Cabot wrote.
“During last week’s 13-10 victory over the Packers, Stefanski never considered going to Gabriel, even though Flacco failed to produce a point for more than 56 minutes. In the end, he led the Browns to 13 points in the final 3:38 to pull out the victory. The flurry included a Grant Delpit interception to set up a TD and a Shelby Harris blocked punt that led to the gamewinning 55 yard field goal as time expired.”
Cabot noted last week, before a shocking 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers, that the Browns likely wouldn’t make any changes at quarterback until after facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 12.
“I think it depends on how Joe looks over the next couple of weeks,” Cabot told host Anthony Kima on the “Ken Carman Show.” “I don’t think they’re in any rush to get Dillon out there. I think they’re in a stretch right now of four out of five games on the road. They’re facing three really tough NFC North teams, playoff teams, and great defenses. So, they have a lot of things going on right now.
“I think it behooves them to have a veteran presence in there. But certainly, he’s got to make sure that he’s protecting the football. That’s job number one. And if he can do that, then he’ll keep his job.”
Patience is wearing thin in Cleveland for Shedeur. But that doesn’t matter one bit to Stefanski and Co. They’ll continue to be patient in their own plan, whether or not it includes the former CU star.