CLEVELAND, Ohio — Were the Browns right not to give Shedeur Sanders any first team reps in practice when he was promoted to backup behind fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel in Week 5?
It’s certainly not unusual for the backup quarterback in the NFL not to get any reps with the starters. It’s how Kevin Stefanski has handled it since taking over here in 2020, and how the Vikings handled it in his 14 seasons there as an offensive assistant.
“The starter gets the vast majority, obviously, if not the entire majority,” Stefanski said on a video conference Monday. “I will say this, we trust our players. Shedeur’s putting in great work on the field, in the meeting room. He will be better with reps that he’s getting, like any player would be better. But we trust him and he’s somebody that’s continued to put in the work and will continue to do so.”
Stefanski is certainly not alone in this strategy. Most NFL teams operate this way, and former Browns quarterbacks Luke McCown and Brian Hoyer came out strongly on Monday to confirm it.
But that doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do in the case of Sanders, who never worked with the ones in training camp, and never threw a pass to Jerry Jeudy before Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Ravens. The minute the Browns promoted him to No. 2, they needed to give him some reps with the starters so the line could get familiar with his cadence, and the receivers could get comfortable with his passes. He needed to learn the tendencies of his receivers and backs, and know where his protection was coming from.
Granted, the Browns felt they needed to give Gabriel all of the first-team reps so he could be ready for gameday. But once Sanders was one play away from taking over, he needed to take his first snap from Ethan Pocic, and complete his first pass to Harold Fannin Jr. in practice.
Given the nature of the Browns’ quarterback room, with a rookie starter and rookie backup, unorthodox methods are in order. When Joe Flacco started the first four weeks of the season, Gabriel got a handful of first-team reps each week to be ready. Of course, Flacco was able to spare some of those starting reps as an 18-year pro, but the Browns should’ve robbed at least a handful each week from Gabriel to give to Sanders.
Gabriel, the Browns third round pick out of Oregon, also got plenty of snaps with the first-team offense in camp, when Flacco didn’t need as many, and Kenny Pickett and Gabriel shared the responsibility of installing the new offense.
If Sanders were a high pick or a young veteran, he might be able to step in and function effectively without those starting reps. But he fell to the fifth round in part because he had a long way to go in terms of operating a pro-style offense. He’s made tremendous strides over the past seven months, but he still has a steep learning curve to handle all that defenses will throw at him.
In fact, I felt he’d be better served by remaining the emergency third quarterback and not playing until he had a full week of work with the ones and a gameplan designed to showcase his dropback skillset and elite accuracy. The Browns obviously believe he’s superior to fourth-year pro Bailey Zappe and deserved QB2 status. But Zappe, 4-5 as a starter, may have been better suited to come off the bench cold and run the starter’s gameplan with no first-team reps.
This is not to say that the Browns haven’t developed Sanders very thoughtfully and intentionally. During practice, he works out on a separate area of the field each day, throwing to other young players such as Gage Larvadain, Kaden Davis, Luke Floriea and Sal Canella. Afterwards, they engage in spirited “Hungry Dawg” sessions, designed for young players to shine.
In those sessions, and when running the scout team for the Browns’ starting defense, Sanders has dazzled his teammates and coaches with a couple of “wow” plays each day. They’re the same kind of eye-popping plays, with his deadly accuracy, that he made throughout training camp with the backups when serving QB4.
Sanders, who went 4 of 16 for 47 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in his six second-half possessions vs. the Ravens en route to a 13.5 rating, has also spent extra time with Stefanski in his office, going over the playbook and studying defenses. The Browns have altered their entire practice week largely to help him get up to speed, and he’s taken full advantage. They’ve poured more time and effort into him than they have most rookies, and the payoff has been tremendous. The notion that they’ve tried to sabotage him is preposterous.
This week, with Gabriel still in the concussion protocol and Sanders set to start against the Raiders Sunday in Las Vegas, he’ll get his first-ever first team reps in practice, and have a chance to get his timing down with the starting receivers and tight ends. He’ll also find more rhythm with the offensive line and backs.
Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who’s called two games so far, will design a scheme that maximizes Sanders’ strengths and boosts his confidence. It will include plenty of short and intermediate options so Sanders doesn’t revert to his habit of retreating under pressure. He must get the ball out quickly, and not take 14-yard sacks. He must also play within himself and not try to be legendary in his first start. He’ll be tempted to prove to the world that he’s made for this, but he must manage the game effectively and not take unnecessary risks.
He’ll also have to deal with premier edge rusher Maxx Crosby and all the heat the Raiders will bring. He might have to do so without one or both of his starting offensive tackles in Cam Robinson and Jack Conklin, who both left the Ravens game with knee injuries. He’ll also have to contend with crowd noise at Allegiant Stadium, and the Browns’ 13-game losing streak on the road.
With a full week of practice with the starters, and with a streamlined gameplan tailored to his strengths, he should perform much better on Sunday. And if he shows enough, he should start the following week at home against the 49ers, even if Gabriel is cleared by then.
But it doesn’t mean the Browns can’t go back to Gabriel at some point, because he deserves a longer look as well. It’s just that when they do, they should still give Sanders a few of those valuable first team reps in practice, even if that’s not the way it’s usually done.
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