After the Browns traded quarterback Joe Flacco to the Bengals on Tuesday, Shedeur Sanders moved on the team's unofficial depth chart from the third-string quarterback to No. 2 behind starter Dillon Gabriel.
While Sanders is currently listed as the team's No. 2 quarterback, head coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't decided if he will actually be the primary backup behind Gabriel this Sunday when the Browns face the Steelers.
"The Joe trade took us by surprise, that's not something that we saw coming," Stefanski told reporters on Wednesday. "... It happened very fast and it happened not too long ago, so still working through all roster type of things, I always have to be mindful of our players and our players’ development. I want to make sure that I’m always doing what’s best for our players and, of course, our team. ... I'll let the week play out, make a decision later on that."
#Browns Kevin Stefanski will wait until later in the week to decide if Shedeur Sanders will be the No. 2 vs #Steelers: pic.twitter.com/xlp48mT1Yz
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 8, 2025
Gabriel and Sanders are the only quarterbacks currently on the Browns' active roster, but Bailey Zappe is on the team's practice squad. This gives the Browns the chance to elevate Bailey to the active roster to back up Gabriel if they prefer.
When asked what Stefanski needs to see from Sanders to make him the No. 2 quarterback, he said, "I wouldn't say there's one thing you need to see. In my role, I have to do what's best for our players, our team, and I'm very, very invested in our player development, our young players' development, our quarterback development. So any decision I make, I want to just make sure that I'm doing what's right for our players."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Browns' Kevin Stefanski Addresses Whether Shedeur Sanders Will Back Up Dillon Gabriel.
