The Cleveland Browns recently released their quarterback depth chart for Week 1 of the NFL season, and some fans aren’t happy. The team is going with Joe Flacco, the 40-year-old veteran, to start the season, which was expected. Listed as his backup is University of Oregon product Dillon Gabriel, and at QB3 is fan-favorite Shedeur Sanders, which came as a surprise.
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In case you’re an NFL fan who lives under a rock, Shedeur has been the breakout sensation of the offseason. He started as a highly touted first-round prospect when the college season ended in January, but somehow slid all the way down to the 5th round on draft day. It was an unprecedented drop, unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
Shedeur’s fall got so out of hand that well-respected analysts began creating conspiracy theories, such as the league colluding against drafting him. And while we don’t know if any of those are true, former lineman Jason Kelce thinks the answer behind the drama is a lot simpler than people think.
“There’s a lot of times rookies come in, and there’s a lot of excitement about them. Coaches oftentimes feel comfortable playing guys that they trust more, and they feel more confident. They can expect a certain amount of performance out of them. And I think they have that more with Joe Flacco than either Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders,” Jason reasoned on New Heights.
As a guy who played in the NFL for 13 seasons, Jason surely knows what he’s talking about. He’s spoken to countless coaches about quarterbacks, since the main duty of his job was to protect them. So, he should know what coaches are thinking when they’re organizing a depth chart.
It’s not that Jason doesn’t want to see Shedeur play, though. He just pointed out that it seems Kevin Stefanski doesn’t have the same level of trust in him as he does in Flacco. And if he did, Sanders would be starting.
“I think at the end of the day, the reason Joe is starting is because Stefanski and they have the most amount of trust [on him],” Jason said. “If the Browns and Kevin Stefanski felt that their best option and most confident option they had to win games was with Shedeur Sanders, they would be playing him.”
It was a simple yet solid analysis coming from the elder Kelce. He didn’t spark any conspiracy theories and just viewed the situation as it currently stands. But it’s not what the fans wanted to hear.
That’s why Jason’s brother, Travis, played the role of a Cleveland fan. After all, the brothers are from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. So, it felt pretty authentic for Travis to be reacting as such.
“I agree with you that they’re probably doing the right thing [that Flacco is starting]. But I want to see 12 go out there and sling it! I want to see it. It’s the most exciting, it’s the most attention. I think he’s shown that he can be an NFL quarterback in the preseason,” Travis stated. “From a fan’s perspective, from a fellow Clevelander, I’m trying to see him shake.”
It’s a hard notion to deny. Most NFL fans would agree that Stefanski and the Browns are making the safe choice by starting the veteran and letting the rookies develop. But at the same time, many would also admit that having Shedeur, or even Gabriel, under center would bring a lot more excitement.
As we’ve continually beaten into the ground throughout the offseason, though, Flacco should run out of gas anywhere from Weeks 4-8. At least, that’s what he’s shown us in recent seasons. When that happens, who is going to be ready to step up and take control of the starting job? Will it be Shedeur or Gabriel who gets the first look?
We’ll just have to wait and see. But as of now, the depth chart says Gabriel is the next in line. So, Shedeur fans might have to wait a lot longer than they want to before they get to see him play in any regular-season games.
