The Cleveland Browns might be preparing Shedeur Sanders to eventually take over as starting quarterback by the end of the season, but Monday served as a reality check for the rookie.
After an impressive preseason debut—where Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers—the Browns quickly relegated the fifth-round pick in the practice rotation.
According to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, Sanders was spotted taking snaps with the third-string offense during 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills. Meanwhile, Joe Flacco worked with the starters, and Dillon Gabriel took second-team reps.
Before practice, head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters the team hadn’t yet determined who would start in Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’m not ready to make that call yet,” Stefanski said, per Oyefusi. “By Wednesday or Thursday, I’ll have a better idea and will share an update.”
Judging by Gabriel’s second-team reps, it seems Sanders remains lower on the depth chart than the third-round rookie.
The Browns claimed Sanders was working with the equipment staff during some reps because he needed to learn presnap procedures, while Flacco, Pickett, and Gabriel took the main reps.
However, Sanders showed no issues handling the huddle or snap timing in Friday’s game against the Panthers. Still, the team is giving him limited work with the third-string squad in this week’s practices.
While Cleveland may deny that it’s undermining Sanders, it’s hard to ignore that their approach isn’t exactly setting him up to thrive—especially considering Deion Sanders’ son is one of six quarterbacks competing on a chaotic depth chart.
Given that level of disorganization, it’s difficult to give the Browns the benefit of the doubt.
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