CLEVELAND, Ohio — The draft classmate in Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s rearview mirror may be closer than he appears. And now that Cleveland has cleared its quarterback room of accomplished veterans, rookie passer Shedeur Sanders can only gain ground in the position battle of public opinion.
The Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals on Tuesday afternoon, and if you thought fans’ calls for Sanders were loud before, now is the time to buy ear plugs.
The volume just increased outside Browns headquarters, where the league’s most popular third-string quarterback could soon be promoted a slot (pending Bailey Zappe’s promotion from the practice squad). Gabriel has only started one NFL game, but it already feels like Cleveland just flipped over a sand(-ers) timer on his tenure.
Tick, tick, tick. When does the Shedeur Show begin?
Sanders fans have been asking since Round 5 of April’s draft, when the Browns shoehorned Gabriel’s dream into Shedeur’s world. From day one of rookie minicamp, fans fawned over Sanders’ practice highlights and questioned his place on the depth chart (always too low).
Never mind that Cleveland drafted Gabriel over 50 picks earlier.
Amid this imbalance, Flacco served as a shield. Rookie comparisons mean less when they’re both stuck behind a veteran. And the Sanders hype train lost steam last week when fans learned that Flacco, whom Cleveland benched for Gabriel, remained second on the depth chart.
By trading Flacco to Cincinnati, however, general manager Andrew Berry just cleared the tracks. The Browns just reminded fans they have two rookie quarterbacks to evaluate before adding a presumed first-round passer to the roster next spring. And as they often say in Cleveland, the backup counts more supporters.
Going forward, think of Gabriel like a desk job worker whose boss is watching his monitor. Only instead of one manager, the leering eyes behind him belong to millions of people. Many are rooting for Sanders, which means they’re waiting for Gabriel to falter.
No pressure.
Or, from Gabriel’s perspective, no change. As mentioned above, the third-round rookie spent all summer under scrutiny. And all quarterbacks are judged harshly at some point during their career.
Ignoring the Sanders groundswell, one could argue, is a big part of Gabriel’s job description.
But as Browns fans know well, even the most composed quarterback needs a strong supporting cast. Sometimes, support comes from fast receivers. Sometimes, fleet-footed tackles secure the pocket. And if all else fails, at least the home crowd can provide a spark.
But in this case, Gabriel has uncertainty all three. The Browns are shuffling tackles almost weekly. His teammates drop more passes than 30 of 31 other teams. And while, of course, Cleveland wants to see every Browns quarterback succeed, it also wonders what Sanders can do.
Starting soon, if not now, every missed throw accelerates the sand timer. Each scoreless drive ends with broadcast cameras pointed at Sanders (or a fan in a Sanders jersey). And after Gabriel commits a turnover, fans will start flexing their wrists and/or checking their watches. Tick, tick, tick.
Is it time?
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