The Cleveland Browns drafted two rookie quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft, a move that was highly debated at the time and a storyline that hasn’t gone away since.
Dillon Gabriel, the team’s third-round pick, remains the starter, while Shedeur Sanders, a fifth-round selection and the most publicly scrutinized rookie in the league, has been elevated to backup but remains without a regular-season snap.
The move follows the organization’s decision to trade veteran Joe Flacco - a deal that instantly reshuffled the depth chart and forced the Browns into more of a developmental path rather than immediate contention.
On Friday, longtime Browns voice Tony Grossi was asked whether, “if the decision was Kevin Stefanski’s, Shedeur Sanders would be traded at the deadline. True or false?” on the ESPN Cleveland radio show.
“I would say true,” Grossi answered while clarifying that while he doesn’t believe the coach personally dislikes Sanders, he just doesn’t “think he considers him a quarterback of value.”
Sanders arrived in Cleveland with an elite college profile - 4,134 yards and 37 TDs in 2024; he led the Big 12 with a 74.1% completion rate - but he was a mid-round pick and has had limited reps with the Browns’ first-team offense.
Gabriel, meanwhile, has started three games and posted 546 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions (59.8% completion rate) while functioning as a conservative, mistake-averse game manager.
As a result, several media outlets have now put Sanders’ name on the trade board.
Numerous trade ideas have included Sanders as a young piece that can be moved to acquire another top receiver, such as New York Jets star Garrett Wilson, as a way to help mitigate the team’s offensive struggles (16.1 points per game as a team - third-worst in the NFL).
Ultimately, the Browns are at a crossroads between rebuilding their future around a young QB and patching an immediate offensive problem.
If the organization sticks with Gabriel and treats Sanders as a tradeable value, Cleveland signals it prefers the lesser-risk, short-term approach. If they hold onto Sanders, they keep a high-upside talent who could become a greater asset next season.
Either way, the Nov. 4 trade deadline will determine whether Stefanski and the Browns are buying a shot at now or betting on the future.
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