The Cleveland Browns plan to keep Dillon Gabriel on the 53-man roster and enter the season with three quarterbacks. While that's a sound strategy for depth purposes, it's hard to get excited about any of Cleveland's options right now. Deshaun Watson claimed the starting job on seniority alone. Shedeur Sanders is nominally QB2, but it's not like he has proven much in the NFL either.
There were points in the preseason when Gabriel actually looked like the Browns' best signal-caller. He is the third-stringer for now, but if Cleveland wanted to promote him — or to clarify the hierarchy behind Watson for when the time comes to bench him — Sanders probably has the most trade value. It's an option on the table, and the Baltimore Ravens could be in the market for a young backup to develop under Lamar Jackson.
This Browns-Ravens trade sends Shedeur Sanders to Baltimore
Baltimore's current quarterback room consists of Jackson, Tyler Huntley and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano. Huntley has struggled immeasurably in recent years and Fagnano has done little this preseason to convince the Ravens he is a better option.
There aren't many better starting quarterbacks in the NFL than Jackson, so the Ravens don't really need to worry about the depth chart unless their two-time MVP gets hurt. Unfortunately, depth is ever valuable these days, and Jackson missed four critical games last season. Baltimore is hoping to bounce back from a dour and unsuccessful campaign, so it'd be wise to put better contingency plans in place.
Why the Ravens do this trade
Sanders unambiguously outperformed Watson during the Browns' supposed "quarterback battle," for whatever that's worth. He basically did the bare minimum, but the second-year gunslinger has not completely tarnished his reputation after a dominant college career. Sanders has naturally struggled on a Browns team devoid of infrastructure as a rookie, and Cleveland picking Watson to start for purely financial reasons — and optics — won't help instill much confidence in him moving forward.
Once viewed as a first-round talent, Sanders fell to the fifth round in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was immediately put under a disproportionately intense microscope, but Sanders has mostly handled a fraught situation with grace. He says the right things to the media and continues to flash signs of growth in practice, even if he will never be set up for success in a Browns uniform.
The Ravens can give him a better ecosystem in terms of supporting talent, mentorship and coaching. New Baltimore offensive coordinator Declan Doyle hails from Chicago, the first disciple of Ben Johnson, whose presence completely unlocked Caleb Williams as an NFL sophomore. Sanders is not on Williams' level, to be clear, but it's not a stretch to prefer his outlook under Doyle to his outlook under Todd Monken. Especially with all the extra, largely unnecessary baggage that comes with playing for the Cleveland Browns.
Plus, where the QB competition with Watson felt hostile — Watson clearly has an outsized sense of self and felt slighted by the perceived disrespect of Sanders' presence — there should be a more amicable dynamic with Jackson in Baltimore's QB room. Jackson does not have to watch his back. He's an MVP, a true superstar. Sanders can focus on his backup duties, take notes from Jackson and step into a more functional offensive context if injuries ever force him into the spotlight. It's a better environment across the board.
Why the Browns do this trade
The Browns front office made their QB preference abudantly clear last spring, selecting Gabriel in the third round of the NFL Draft. Sanders was scooped up about 50 picks later, but there were reports of a mandate passed down from ownership. Andrew Berry and Cleveland's top football decision-makers viewed Gabriel as the better prospect and explicitly picked him instead of Sanders, before it was clear Sanders' slide would last into Day 3.
Sanders has since surpassed Gabriel on the depth chart, and Monken is a new head coach with a new outlook on the roster. But Cleveland chose Watson, who's still paid like a superstar despite multiple Achilles injuries and off-field problems, to start. Sanders logging a DNP every Sunday will generate a lot of unwanted media attention, especially if Watson and the offense struggle as expected. If the Browns front office wants to justify its investment in Gabriel and do away with the distraction inherent to Sanders, trading him for a future fifth-round pick — which is exactly what Cleveland used to add him in the first place — is a neat-enough ending.
Trading him to a division rival could prove consequential, but the Browns don't really need to worry about Sanders taking over the Ravens QB room. That is Lamar Jackson's team and Sanders would strictly be used in emergencies. If anything, Baltimore would hope to raise Sanders' stock enough to flip him for better than a fifth-round pick down the road.
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