Dillon Gabriel's horrendous throws reveal Browns bias towards Shedeur Sanders

Shedeur Sanders doesn't seem like an easy rookie quarterback to deal with. He arrived in Browns camp with his own media crew – intentional or not – and has been among the most high-profile backup quarterbacks in recent memory. This all stems from Sanders' time at Colorado, where he played for his father and NFL legend Deion Sanders. That being said, Shedeur entered April's showcase as a Day 1 or Day 2 pick, at worst, and was somehow selected by the Browns in the fifth around after they had taken another rookie in the third. None of this made sense.

It's been 10 weeks, and nine games for the Browns. Sanders has kept his mouth shut for the most part, trying to fade into the background and wait his turn. The NFL media circus hasn't left him alone, however, and more important hasn't allowed fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel to flourish. Had Gabriel performed well as Browns starter – and he took over the job on Sept. 14, promoting the team to trade Joe Flacco to the Bengals – detractors would have little argument in their hopes of watching Sanders take some snaps this season. Instead, Gabriel has been predictably subpar, as most rookies are, prompting even more calls for Sanders. Just look at these horrendous throws on Sunday against the lowly New York Jets.

What would it take for the Browns to play Shedeur Sanders?

We could play this game all day. Heck, the Browns might win! The Jets traded away All-Pro talent like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams at the deadline. None of it matters, and it's why FanSided's Terrence Jordan predicted the Jets to win this week and surprise everyone.

"The Jets showed a lot of heart in coming back to beat the Bengals two weeks ago, and Justin Fields played with a chip on his shoulder after team owner Woody Johnson called him out. With Gardner and Williams both gone, nobody expects this team to do anything, but Aaron Glenn isn't looking to go 1-16. I think they come out fighting with a heavy dose of Breece Hall, and they force Dillon Gabriel into throwing a couple of picks. This game won't be pretty, but I think the Jets will get an prideful win," Jordan wrote.

As funny as the above social media posts are, my actual answer to this question is a gambling scandal. Truly, the Browns don't want to give in to Sanders' demands, because even they have a lot to lose by him playing well. If Sanders performs better than Gabriel, then they are proven wrong. The Shedeur stans would come out of the woodwork yet again next April, demanding the Browns not select another quarterback to take reps from their favorite player.

The problem with playing (and sitting) Shedeur Sanders

The problem with playing Sanders is obvious for Cleveland. If he were to play well at this point in the season, they could be forced to commit to him. The Browns would prefer to solve their quarterback conundrum in next April's class, which is considered better than last year's. However, there's also an issue in sitting him.

As long as Sanders is on the roster, the Browns are going to receive these kinds of questions. It doesn't matter if they select a first-round quarterback next April, or trade for an established veteran. Sanders stans don't trust the Browns, and they're right not to considering this organization hasn't found an established starter in years.

The worst-case scenario for Cleveland is if they let Sanders go and he performed well elsewhere. He'd just be the next on a long list of quarterbacks who played better once leaving the Browns organization.

If Gabriel continues to struggle, expect Sanders to get some reps late in the season that are otherwise meaningless. It'll give the fans a chance to watch what the Browns already know from his practice reps – he's not a starting QB in this league. Once Browns fans come to that realization, they'll drop their demands entirely and focus on April.

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