It is sure to be a hot topic this week for the Cleveland Browns, as they come back from the mini-bye following the big Thursday night win over the Steelers at home that pushed the team to the top of the AFC North standings. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is eligible to come off of injured reserve now that we’ve gotten through four weeks of the season, and that means there is the potential for things to get very crowded in the team’s QB room. We know Deshaun Watson will be there as the starter, and that rookie Taylen Green will hang on as a developmental project. But what about second-year players Shedeur Sanders and Gabriel?
Well, no one knows. There has been increasing speculation around the NFL–ESPN insider Dan Graziano mentioned it last week–that Sanders could be a trade target as teams suffer quarterback injuries. And it makes sense, as Sanders does have seven starts under his belt, and went 3-4 in those starts with a pretty terrible supporting cast. He should have some value, and with the Browns needing every roster spot they can get, shopping Sanders makes sense.
Shedeur Sanders ‘Odd Man Out’ for Browns
But word keeps coming out of Barea that Sanders is not going anywhere. One Browns reporter, in fact, got a bit of whiplash on the subject on Monday morning–Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. Appearing on Ken Carman’s show, Ruiter declared that Sanders’ status could be shaky as Gabriel prepares to return.
At a little before 8:30 am ET, Ruiter said on the air, “I think Shedeur Sanders very well could be the odd man out here. I don’t think that they’re going to trade Dillon Gabriel. You’re not going to trade Taylen Green and you’re not going to make Taylen Green your backup quarterback, either. So, that leaves Shedeur Sanders. They’re not going to keep four quarterbacks. I don’t think that they can do that, Todd Monken certainly, at least during training camp, didn’t sound like he was crazy about that idea.
“Shedeur Sanders clearly wants to play. He’s not going to play here right now.”
Shedeur Sanders Not Being Traded
That was reasonable enough as speculation. But it’s not the message the Browns are putting out, obviously. That’s because about 20 minutes after Ruiter said that on the air, he pulled a full 180-degree turn on Twitter/X. You do not need to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce what likely happened: Ruiter got a text or call from a Browns source telling him he’s wrong about Sanders’ status as the odd man out.
Wrote Ruiter: “I’m told this morning per source #Browns not looking to trade Shedeur Sanders and they want to keep developing him.”
He followed up with: “I’m told #Browns really do like how much Shedeur Sanders has developed this year under Todd Monken and with no definitive long-term answer at QB they are not motivated to move him or anyone else in the room right now.”
At just about the same time, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the longtime Browns beat writer, took to Twitter/X to bump her report from last week that the team is not making a quarterback trade. This is not a coincidence, of course.
No Reason to Take the Browns’ Word on Trade
OK, so what’s happening, then, for the Browns and the quarterback room? There seem to be three possibilities. The first is, just take everyone at their word, and the Browns will bring Gabriel off the IR from his back injury and keep four quarterbacks this season.
The second is that they can string out Gabriel’s back injury longer, keeping him on IR or extending his practice window to the maximum 21 days. That will allow them to keep four quarterbacks till midseason and make a decision then.
The third is that, realizing this is the same organization that vowed Myles Garrett was not going anywhere weeks before trading him to Los Angeles, the Browns are setting a smokescreen with the declarations of loyalty to Sanders and will, in fact, trade him in the coming weeks. Again, go back and listen to Andrew Berry in the spring, firmly saying Garrett is staying put and recognize that a commitment to Sanders does not mean he won’t be traded.
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Trade Plan Revealed Amid Conflicting Rumors