The Cleveland Browns may finally have the opportunity to maximize their quarterback room, as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is down again, and potentially out for the season, after an injury early in his team’s contest against the Buffalo Bills in Week 8.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport offered a report following the game on the severe injury Jackson sustained to the thumb on his throwing hand.
“#Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will have surgery on his thumb and will go on Injured Reserve, per coach Jesse Minter. ‘We’ll see’ if it’s season ending,” Rapoport wrote Sunday, November 1.
Cleveland is not going to trade QB1 Deshaun Watson after a 5-3 start to the regular season, and also because the Ravens would never take on all the money remaining on his contract, which is still a terrible deal even despite the results the Browns have had this year with Watson under center.
And sixth-round rookie signal-caller Taylen Green does not make sense as a trade candidate either, as he is a high-upside swing in Cleveland who is on a cheap deal and has yet to play a regular-season snap.
That leaves either Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel, the latter of whom recently rejoined the active roster after missing time to start the year with a back injury. Based on experience, success and all the other relevant circumstances, Sanders makes the most sense as a trade piece inside the division — despite how angry that outcome would make the Browns faithful.
Browns Standing Pat on QB Shedeur Sanders’ Status, Future in Cleveland
Browns head coach Todd Monken declared recently that Sanders will remain the team’s backup QB for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported before the first wave of games on Sunday that the Browns have no plans to trade any of their quarterbacks.
“They have no plans to trade Sanders or Gabriel before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, unless someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse,” she wrote. “As of now, they’re not shopping any of their QBs.”
Ravens Down 2 QBs in Week 8 as Tyler Huntley Also Injured, With Minimal Options to Add at Trade Deadline
However, things have now meaningfully changed in Baltimore, where the Ravens are are 4-4 and losers of their last three games. Not only did Jackson suffer an injury, but backup QB Tyler Huntley also went down in the contest with a toe issue.
That left rookie quarterback Joe Fagano to play the remainder of the game, during which he completed 10-of-21 passes for 91 yards and an interception.
The Ravens are undoubtedly going to need another quarterback, if not two, as Fagano is not a viable option for a team with playoff aspirations under a new, first-year head coach in Minter.
Sanders is not the only player out there who is potentially on the trade block. But he should be available for an early-to-mid Day 3 draft pick in 2027, which Cleveland must strongly consider if such is offered by Baltimore.
Browns Trade Pitch Flips QB to Ravens Amid Tragic Lamar Jackson News