The Cleveland Browns have already traded two quarterbacks since late August, so why not a third?
That was the notion pushed by Gilberto Manzano of SI on Friday, October 24 with regards to the team’s position on rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders ahead of the NFL’s November 4 trade deadline.
“The Browns might actually have something going with this promising 2025 draft class, which includes running back Quinshon Judkins, linebacker Carson Schwesinger and defensive tackle Mason Graham,” Manzano wrote. “However, the team might not view rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the same light as the aforementioned rookies, especially because the team has favored rookie starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Don’t be shocked if Sanders is moved before the deadline.”
Trading Shedeur Sanders Would Remove Pressure From Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski
GettyCleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The mechanics of a Sanders trade would be tricky. A large section of the fanbase and Cleveland-centric media have been calling for Sanders to play since even before the season began, so dealing him away before he ever plays a snap could be the last straw for the job security of either head coach Kevin Stefanski, or less likely that of general manager Andrew Berry.
That said, doing so would remove some pressure from Stefanski and company, who clearly believe Gabriel has a better shot at a longterm NFL future. For example, Stefanski took considerable heat earlier this week for admitting that he’s not giving Sanders reps with the first-team in practice despite affording those same opportunities to Gabriel while Joe Flacco was the starter.
“No,” Stefanski said Wednesday after a reporter asked him about Sanders getting first-team reps. “I mean, with a young quarterback, with Dillon starting, you want to make sure he gets a lot of reps. Different when you have a veteran like Joe. But [Sanders is] still getting reps in a bunch of periods.”
Gabriel hasn’t turned the football over and has embodied the concept of a game-managing quarterback across three starts (1-2), but he hasn’t done nearly enough to sell Browns fans on the idea that he’s definitely the guy going forward. Thus, the only way the team might be able to placate its followers in the aftermath of a premature Sanders trade would be to essentially announce its intention to tank for one of the top signal-callers in a relatively deep 2026 draft class — but even that might not be enough.
Trade Market for Shedeur Sanders Thin Across NFL, Return for Browns Would Likely Be Minimal
GettyQuarterback Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins.
The other issue in any hypothetical Sanders deal is return value. Cleveland got a fifth-rounder from the Las Vegas Raiders for Kenny Pickett and a fifth-rounder from the Cincinnati Bengals for Flacco plus a sixth-round pick.
The Browns used an early fifth-round selection to draft Sanders, trading up to do so. So where is the value in acquiring him, bringing the attention that surrounds him to a team that was almost certainly going to be bad in 2025, then not ever playing him and trading him for more or less equal value?
That reads like the kind of pointless nonsense that gets coaches and GMs fired, and Stefanski and Berry already have strong enough marks against them with regards to the Deshaun Watson trade/contract debacle — even if it was ownership who pushed that particular deal on the franchise.
The market for Sanders isn’t all that big. The Miami Dolphins could make sense after benching Tua Tagovailoa against Cleveland last week. Or perhaps Sanders could find a home with the winless New York Jets or as the heir apparent to a struggling Geno Smith with the Las Vegas Raiders.
But the Jets and the Raiders had need of signal-callers during April’s draft and each chose to pass on Sanders multiple times. Now eight weeks into the season without any new tape, it’s hard to imagine they would have changed their minds.
The Dolphins are a tough sell too, as they may be looking to move talent ahead of the trade deadline rather than add it, while the franchise considers the strong possibility of a rebuild beginning next offseason.
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