Ahead of the 2025 NFL season, there's been no quarterback room in the center of attention more than that of the Cleveland Browns. With the drama surrounding the draft, Deshaun Watson, and the offseason additions made, there were questions of how it would pan out.
Joe Flacco secured the starting spot to begin the season, and behind him, the rest of the quarterback room was bound to be highly debated. With Sheduer Sanders and Dillon Gabriel having solid preseason performances, the decision wasn't easy.
But as Ian Rapoport shared on Twitter/X, Kevin Stefanski, after revealing that Gabriel would be the backup, announced his plan with Sanders as the third stringer. The former Oregon quarterback got the starting job, while Sanders would be the third QB.
Stefanski's Plan for Sanders as Gabriel's Backup
With Gabriel, the former Oregon Ducks quarterback, winning the backup job to Flacco, Sanders' only option, after Kenny Pickett was traded, was to be the third-string quarterback.
#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski tells reporters that Shedeur Sanders will be the third QB, meaning he's able to dress for games.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 28, 2025
However, he's not just the backup to Gabriel; he's also going to be dressed for every game as the emergency third quarterback. The Browns will have three quarterbacks ready to go on game days: Flacco, Gabriel, and Sanders.
But if Flacco were ever to get hurt during a game or in practice, then Gabriel would be the team's new starting quarterback. But Sanders, instead of not dressing for games, will be ready to go if needed. But, he's firmly slotted behind Gabriel in the pecking order.
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Cleveland took Gabriel, who was fourth in Heisman voting with Oregon in 2024 with 3,857 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, in the third round at pick 94. Sanders, meanwhile, fell far down the board, being picked in the fifth round.
Gabriel earned the backup job thanks in part to Sander's struggles in the final preseason game. He was sacked five times, losing 41 yards. Compared to Gabriel, who wasn't sacked once and threw for significantly more yards, the backup spot wasn't a hard choice.
Due to the rule allowing for a third quarterback to dress for game day, Sanders will be ready to enter a game if needed every week. However, he's still behind both Flacco and Gabriel on the depth chart. For now, Oregon is on top of Colorado, as Gabriel is the Browns' backup quarterback, while Sanders is the third stringer.
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