Shedeur Sanders is currently the Cleveland Browns’ third-string quarterback, but the odds of him seeing the field this year appear slim.
Sanders is currently the No. 3 quarterback on the Browns’ depth chart, which at the moment looks like this:
- Joe Flacco – Starter
- Dillon Gabriel – Backup
- Shedeur Sanders
- Bailey Zappe – Practice Squad
The latest update from longtime Cleveland sports radio personality Tony Rizzo is another indicator that the Browns don’t intend to play Sanders, a rookie fifth-round draft pick, this season.
“I’m hearing Shedeur isn’t even running scout team, he’s literally watching everyone… why is he on the team, why is he here?,” – @TheRealTRizzo on what he’s hearing about Shedeur Sanders. pic.twitter.com/Mtx6bs0rZL
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) September 11, 2025
On the air Thursday, Rizzo claimed he heard that Sanders is not running Cleveland’s scout team. Rather, that duty belongs to Zappe, the practice squad quarterback.
“I’m hearing Shedeur isn’t even running scout team, he’s literally watching everyone. Bailey Zappe is running scout team,” Rizzo said.
While this isn’t the most encouraging update for Sanders fans, it also may not be a major blow to his early career. There could be valid reasons for the Browns to keep him off the scout team.
Slow and steady
As Sporting News’ Billy Heyen theorizes, Cleveland wants this season to be a learning experience for Sanders. Therefore, it makes sense to have someone else, in this case Zappe, run the scout team
“Sanders, the QB3 behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel, isn’t meant to learn the opposition’s offense. He’s meant to learn Cleveland’s offense,” Heyen writes.
Just last weekend, NFL insider Dianna Russini at The Athletic said not to expect Sanders to see game action this season “unless things get really weird.”
“It was GM Andrew Berry’s call, rooted in his belief that Cleveland’s coaching staff could bring out the best in Sanders and help him grow into an NFL quarterback,” Russini wrote. “It will be a process, and the Browns want to keep developing him.”
What’s next for Sanders?
The young rookie just needs to keep his head down and keep working. The Browns are 0-1, and if they continue losing, it seems unlikely that the team would stick with the 40-year-old Flacco at quarterback for the entire season.
Gabriel, a third-round pick in April’s NFL Draft, would be next in line. If Gabriel winds up starting, it will be interesting to see if Sanders get the bump up to No. 2 quarterback or remains third-string.
If it’s the latter, that means the Browns are serious about this being a redshirt year.
