The Cleveland Browns have their quarterback room set for Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but a new addition to the franchise could be on the way.
Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel is the starter, while fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders is now QB2. Bailey Zappe, a four-year NFL veteran who has spent all season on the practice squad up to this point, is now third-string/Cleveland’s emergency signal-caller should Gabriel and Sanders both suffer injuries during the same game.
That leaves a spot on the practice squad for a fourth quarterback, should Cleveland decide to fill one of the P.S. slots with a fourth passer — something the team did for five weeks before trading veteran Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, October 7.
The Browns took a significant step in that direction on Friday, hosting workouts for nine players including former Chicago Bears quarterback Austin Reed.
“#Browns worked out Elijah Cooks, Mac Dalena, Bryson Green Jha’Quan Jackson, D.J. Johnson, Jah Joyner, Nick Kubitz, Cameron McGrone [and] Austin Reed,” Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reported via X on October 10.
Austin Reed Racked up Huge Numbers in College at Western Kentucky
GettyFormer Chicago Bears quarterback Austin Reed.
Reed joined the Bears in 2024 as an undrafted rookie out of Western Kentucky, which is also the alma-mater of Zappe, potentially Reed’s new teammate if he catches on with the practice squad in Cleveland following his tryout Friday.
Reed, 25 years old, still has yet to take an NFL snap in a regular-season game. However, he was a prolific passer over a two-year stretch at Western Kentucky.
He threw for 4,746 yards, 40 TDs and 11 INTs across 14 games in 2022. Reed followed up that effort with 3,340 passing yards, 31 TDs and 11 INTs over 12 games played in 2023.
Shedeur Sanders Now One Promotion Away From First Regular-Season Action in NFL
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
While it would undoubtedly be a story if the Browns ultimately sign Reed to the practice squad — particularly with regards to the health of veteran QB Deshaun Watson, who continues to rehabilitate from a twice-torn Achilles tendon — the biggest news at the quarterback position in Cleveland this week was two-fold.
First and foremost was the organization’s decision to trade Flacco and a sixth-round draft pick to the division rival Bengals in return for a fifth-rounder. Second was the team’s call to promote Sanders to the role of QB2.
The fifth-round pick was noticeably buoyed by the developments when speaking with reporters on Thursday.
“I’m in a great mental space overall. So, I would say you tend to get a little bit more excited when you see a light at the end of the tunnel,” Sanders said. “We’re going to make sure we do everything we can to make sure Dillon’s ready for the game. Whatever that means. I’m overly confident within myself. I know when I first got here, I’m ready to play, but it’s up to the coaches and whatever decision they make then, I’m fine with.”
The Browns head to Pittsburgh (3-1) on Sunday as 6.5-point underdogs, per ESPN Bet.
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