Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders missed Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots with an injury but it was apparently not his decision to sit out.
Sanders popped up on the injury report late in the week with a back ailment he self-reported to the team. He was seen testing it out pregame but was not active, with practice squad Bailey Zappe assuming the backup role to Dillon Gabriel.
After the 31-6 loss to the Patriots, Sanders told reporters that it wasn’t his decision to sit out, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. He also said “I guarantee I’m going to be good” when asked about missing any additional time.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski addressed Sanders sitting out, saying they didn’t feel comfortable after watching his warm up.
“Yeah, he obviously came in Saturday with his back injury. We were hopeful that he’d be able to move around well enough to suit up on Sunday,” Stefanski said. “But, put him through a pre-game warm up, and obviously just didn’t feel like he was ready to play. But he’s getting better every day and I’m hopeful that he’ll continue to improve.”
Browns Not ‘Focused’ on Starting Shedeur Sanders
The situation with Sanders in Cleveland is under the spotlight, especially with Gabriel struggling as the starter. Gabriel passed for just 156 yards against the Patriots with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Through four games, Gabriel has passed for 702 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. His QBR of 25.8 ranks 32nd in the NFL. Despite Gabriel’s struggles, the Browns plan to stick with him in Week 10 following their bye week.
“Playing good on offense is about 11 guys on the field and us as coaches doing our job,” Stefanski said. “Obviously young players will learn in each outing that they’re out there. I think Dillon will continue to learn, will continue to get better, but it’s really an entire offensive type of thing where we all need to be better.”
Stefanski also addressed a direct question about giving Sanders a shot.
“Obviously my focus is where we are right now,” Stefanski said. “That’s not my focus.”
Browns’ Weighing Other Offensive Shifts
The Browns offense has been nearly unwatchable for the majority of the season. Cleveland ranks 31st in total yards per game at 263.5 and 30th in points at 15.8. Stefanski said they’ll look at everything during the bye week, which could include him giving up the play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
“I need to spend time on all those things, and I think it’s by position we have to be better and we have to put our players in better spots, if you will, and that includes every position,” Stefanski said. “So, we’ll look at all of it this week and make a decision coming out of the bye.
“You’re constantly looking at different players, different ways, routes that they can run, concepts that they can run. So you have to continue to search for those things so that you can be efficient and then ultimately explosive.”
The Browns will have a chance to get back on track after the bye against the one-win New York Jets.
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