The NFL’s roster cut deadline has passed, and fifth-round rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been named the Cleveland Browns’ 3rd emergency option after a bizarre summer.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has unsurprisingly decided to go forward with Joe Flacco as the Week One starter, and third-round rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel will back him up from the bench.
It brings an end to a hectic offseason at the Browns, which at one point saw a five-way quarterback battle unfold, with Kenny Pickett and Tyler Huntley let go by one means or another.
Pickett was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, while Huntley was cut, which was a key part of a call in the final game of preseason that saw Shedeur Sanders pulled from the last two-minute drill.
Former NFL veteran quarterback Chase Daniel has hit out at the Sanders conspiracy theorists and explained why the Cleveland Browns‘ rookie was removed from the game. He also was not too impressed with Sanders’ behavior after it happened, either.
Daniel not impressed with Shedeur Sanders’ behavior or the narrative after being pulled for Tyler Huntley
The narrative that Shedeur Sanders is being sabotaged is one which simply won’t go away, regardless of what the Browns do at this point.
After the NFL roster cut deadline and Sanders being named the emergency third quarterback, there was a considerable reaction to Gabriel being named on the depth chart ahead of him.
Gabriel was drafted two rounds before Sanders for a reason. Sanders was also pulled from the final two-minute drive for a reason, and it was for the long-term benefit of Tyler Huntley, as Daniel explains.
Speaking on The Athletic’s Scoop City podcast, he said: “Did I like his attitude on the sideline when he got pulled? No.
“When the two-minute drill was happening, right… And of course, as a competitor, you want to be out there. You want to be leading.
“It’s a way to be like, ‘Hey, let me get into a rhythm.’ But Stefanski put Snoop [Tyler Huntley] in because he knew he was getting cut.
“‘We knew that we were not keeping five. We want to give Snoop Huntley the best chance to put some film out there.’
“What did he do? He went on a game-winning drive. This has nothing to do with you [Sanders]. I think a more mature quarterback would understand that. Now he’s a rookie…
“I’m not trying to say he should, but that is the whole situation. I just can’t stand the narrative, a little bit, of like, ‘Hey, you know, they played him behind bad offensive linemen.’
“Everyone plays behind bad offensive linemen. You have to understand that in some of these third preseason games, yes, you’re not playing with guys on the roster.
“As a quarterback, get rid of the ball quicker. It’s just an interesting situation that the Browns have to face because now you have your fourth-string quarterback taking up all the headlines on your team when all you’re trying to do is win.”
NFL 2025 Draft Number 1 pick Cam Ward thought Sanders was going 1-2 with him
Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward was the first overall pick of the 2025 draft, and he thought that he and Shedeur Sanders would be going first and second.
Ward, who is adjusting to his new life in the NFL well so far, has complete faith in Sanders to tear it up alongside him once he gets the opportunity.
That is the first problem; however. Ward has been fast-tracked to QB1 for the Titans, as he should be after being taken as the number one overall pick, while Sanders sits 3/3 on the Browns’ depth chart.
The Browns clearly see the potential in Sanders; otherwise, they would have cut him. The media drama alone would be a good enough reason to cut a fifth-round rookie quarterback who hasn’t taken camp by storm.
The conspiracy theory that the Browns were sabotaging him by pulling him off that two-minute drive, which even recently retired NFL veteran quarterback Derek Carr was feeding into, was ridiculous.
It is neither surprising that Dillon Gabriel has been named as the backup to Flacco. The Browns took Gabriel first, two rounds before Sanders, and Sanders hasn’t done enough to leapfrog him.
