Shedeur Sanders just made the Cleveland Browns' quarterback decision a lot harder with his NFL preseason debut. Sanders threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Browns’ 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on Friday, showing the same sort of pocket mobility and accuracy he displayed during his college career. It was the perfect way to prove that he not only deserves to make the 53-man roster, bu also might deserve a shot to start at some point this season.
And that wasn’t the only clarity the Browns got in their quarterback room. The team also realized that taking Dillon Gabriel in the third round — a full round before Sanders, which nobody saw coming — was the mistake that fans and analysts thought it was at the time. Gabriel was sidelined with a hamstring injury on Friday, but the fact that he couldn’t play stole any chance he had to prove he deserves a spot.
I get why the Browns drafted two quarterbacks in theory; Joe Flacco certainly isn't the future, and in a less-than-stellar QB class, you'd rather have two lottery tickets than one. But the two they took, and in the order they took them, doesn’t make much sense, especially now with Sanders showing why he was highly touted as a potential first-round pick before his slide to Day 3. Cleveland’s best bet is to trade Gabriel now, because there’s nothing he can do to prove he should make the roster over Sanders.
Cleveland Browns get more clarity in quarterback room after Shedeur Sanders shines in NFL preseason debut
The one thing Cleveland got is more clarity about who should make the 53-man roster. While Gabriel will ultimately get some time to play this preseason, there’s probably not much he’s going to do that will convince the Browns he’s worth keeping over Sanders. That leaves Gabriel and Pickett as probably the two odd players out, and their injuries are only hurting their chances.
Joe Flacco is almost certainly the Week 1 starter for this team. Sanders, while being a bottomfeeder in the depth chart, has shown he’s worked his way to possibly being No. 2 by camp's end. He still has work to do and still needs to polish his game. But he’s a much better option than Gabriel.
This coaching staff wanted to believe in Gabriel, which is why they drafted him in the third round. They can’t ignore that Sanders is the better player now. When Gabriel gets on the field, he will show he’s not more NFL-ready than Sanders. We knew this already, but the off-the-field stuff clouded our judgement of Sanders.
He’s talented and probably the most talented quarterback on the roster. He showed that on Friday and it’s what’s going to cost Gabriel a roster spot.