It’s been the case all season, but the Cleveland Browns quarterback situation is officially in disarray.
Rookie third-round quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion at halftime against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 and was replaced by Shedeur Sanders.
On Monday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Gabriel experienced concussion symptoms and is still in the protocol. If he cannot play, it would be up to Sanders to make his first career start in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sanders probably wishes he could redo his NFL debut, where he was 4-of-16 passing. Unfortunately, his lack of practice reps with the first team offense was on full display. The former Colorado quarterback was holding onto the football for too long. Outside of a few impressively accurate throws, it was a forgettable outing.
After the game, Browns veteran right guard Wyatt Teller told reporters that he had only heard Sanders’ cadence two or three times prior to protecting the fifth-round selection.
“The starter gets the vast majority, obviously, if not the entire majority,” Stefanski explained of why Sanders did not practice with the first team. “We trust our players. Shedeur is putting in great work on the field, in the meeting room. He’ll be better with the reps that he’s getting.”
As long as Gabriel remains in the concussion protocol, Stefanski has to use these next few practices to prepare Sanders to face the Raiders. It’s clear that Sanders has some raw talent in terms of arm strength and accuracy, but protections and processing have to be improved this week.
If Gabriel cannot play, Sanders would get the start in Las Vegas. If Sanders were to play well enough to get the Browns their third victory of the season, Stefanski might not be ready to commit to him once Gabriel is cleared.
“I don’t want to speculate,” Stefanski replied when asked about a scenario where Sanders could replace Gabriel as Cleveland’s starting quarterback.
It feels like everything is up in the air for the Browns right now as it pertains to their quarterback situation.
Remember, they created this situation themselves when they bailed on Kenny Pickett for a fifth-round pick before the season began. Then, they benched and traded backup plan Joe Flacco after just four starts.
Stefanski told reporters that he would be able to provide more of an update during his availability on Wednesday surrounding what the team will do at practice. If Gabriel is cleared, he would likely command all of the starting reps to face the Raiders. If he can’t get cleared, it would be smart for the Browns to start preparing Sanders with the starters.
The Browns only have two victories and still have seven games remaining before they reach the finish line on another dreadful season.
While Sanders showed a few sparks, the Browns would need him to capitalize on winnable games including the upcoming matchup in Las Vegas and the Tennessee Titans in the first weekend of December.