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Insider gives Shedeur Sanders bad news after Browns trade Joe Flacco.
The Cleveland Browns made another quarterback change by trading Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the move, Dillon Gabriel will remain the starting quarterback, while Shedeur Sanders is expected to be the backup. However, Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic isn’t ruling out Cleveland signing Bailey Zappe to the active roster and him being named the backup.
“Flacco, 40, was no longer in their plans,” Jackson wrote. “Cleveland will likely promote Bailey Zappe from their practice squad, and we’ll see later in the week if rookie Shedeur Sanders will move up from emergency quarterback and third on the depth chart or if Zappe will become the primary backup.”
The Browns have been carrying three quarterbacks all season, and Jackson expects Cleveland to quickly sign Zappe to the 53-man roster.
The obvious next move for the Browns will be…Bailey Zappe to the active roster,” Jackson wrote on X.
Cleveland making Zappe the backup over Sanders would be a surprise, but Jackson isn’t ruling it out. If the Browns believe Sanders needs more development, he could remain the third-string emergency quarterback and run the scout team, while Zappe could serve as the primary backup.
The Browns take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in Week 6.
Flacco Didn’t Request a Trade From Browns
Cleveland traded a sixth-round pick and Flacco to the Bengals for a fifth-round pick.
Although Flacco was benched in favor of Gabriel, who will be the starter for the foreseeable future, the veteran quarterback didn’t request a trade. However, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reported that Flacco was open to the idea of being traded.
Flacco didn’t ask for the trade, but he certainly welcomed it when the Browns talked to him about it on Tuesday, a source told cleveland.com. The last thing he wanted to do was ride the bench here for the rest of the season,” Cabot wrote.
Flacco signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Browns this offseason. He ended up winning the starting job, but he struggled offensively and was benched. Flacco went 93-of-160 for 815 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions before being benched.
The veteran quarterback will now likely be the Bengals‘ starter and hopes to lead Cincinnati to the playoffs.
Kevin Stefanski Wants Sanders to Continue Working
Sanders has been the Browns‘ third-string quarterback all season, but coach Kevin Stefanski has been pleased with his work.
After Gabriel was named the starter, Stefanski was asked how Sanders can move up the depth chart. The coach wanted the rookie quarterback to just continue working and competing every day.
“All of our players, and I include Shedeur in this, are working extremely hard. We just finished our period after practice that we do every single day, just finished a red zone 7-on-7 period where Shedeur and the rest of the younger guys are working on 10 reps,” Stefanski said. “So, he needs to continue to do exactly what he’s been doing. And continue to do what all these guys are doing, which is just keep working.”
Following Flacco being traded, Sanders may finally get his chance to be the backup.