Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is arguably the most popular fifth-round pick of all-time when considering the amount of coverage he’s received despite not taking a single NFL snap through his first seven games in the league.
Sanders made news again late in the week due to a back injury.
“Sanders’ back tightened up overnight, and he alerted the Browns to it on Saturday morning, a league source said,” Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported on October 25.
Some NFL analysts have speculated in recent weeks that Sanders might be on the trade block, though conventional wisdom dictates the Browns wouldn’t consider dealing him before putting him on the field and seeing what he can do, which Cabot has reported recently remains the plan in Cleveland at some point down the line in 2025.
She also definitively pulled Sanders off the trade block with her reporting ahead of the team’s game against the New England Patriots.
“Social media speculation ran rampant on Saturday when the Browns added Sanders to the injury report as questionable for the Patriots game with back tightness,” Cabot wrote. “But the soreness is legitimate, and the Browns have no plans to trade Sanders, even though he’s not getting any first-team reps in practice, and might not see the field for awhile.”
Browns Looking for Starting QB Dillon Gabriel to Take Steps Forward, or Shedeur Sanders Could Replace Him
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
The Browns elevated veteran quarterback Bailey Zappe from the practice squad in case Sanders can’t function as QB2 behind Dillon Gabriel Sunday in New England.
Gabriel has been the starter for the last three games, leading the team to a 1-2 record but failing to show much, if any, dynamism from the quarterback position.
“The Browns definitely want to see more points from Gabriel and the offense, and don’t have him on a short leash,” Cabot wrote. “But the passing game does need to improve, or they’ll undoubtedly find themselves tempted to turn to Sanders sooner than perhaps they want to.”
Shedeur Sanders Could Start as Early as November 9 Against the Jets
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
Why the Browns would be loathe to transition from Gabriel to Sanders in the next few weeks is unclear.
Cleveland is 2-5 on the season, while the Patriots have home field advantage on Sunday and are 5-2. If the Browns lose, they will enter their bye week with exceedingly minimal hope of making a run to even fringe playoff contention.
Sanders’ will get an extra week of rest and will hopefully be healthy by the time the team returns to action against the winless New York Jets on November 9, which would be a soft landing spot for Sanders’ first NFL start even despite the fact that it’s a road game.
The Browns have been clear that they want to see what they have in Gabriel, but if he isn’t making plays and the team is still trying to win, then Sanders might be the logical answer. If Cleveland acquiesces to a lost season coming out of the bye, then it shouldn’t really matter if its Gabriel or Sanders under center, as the rest of the year is merely an audition for both rookies to keep their jobs longterm.
In any case, Sanders’ back issue makes it unlikely that he will see the field Sunday in New England. However, the Browns aren’t going to trade him either, so fans clamoring to see the 23-year-old QB are almost certain to get their wish at some point this season.
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