It’s no secret that the Cleveland Browns have a mess of a situation in their QB room. They came into the preseason with four guys listed on the depth chart. Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. The club then traded Pickett away before the season, going in with three guys who could potentially get snaps throughout the year.
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However, after a porous start to the season, Flacco has now been benched. Gabriel will be at the helm next game for the Browns when they take on the Minnesota Vikings in London, while Shedeur is still listed as the QB3.
When former tight end Rob Gronkowski heard about this, he couldn’t believe that Shedeur isn’t the QB2 now.
“He should be number 2. I mean, Joe Flacco already proved that he’s not truly the fit this year for the Cleveland Browns,” Gronkowski shared on Up & Adams.
Rob’s take makes a ton of sense. There’s no reason Flacco should continue to get quality reps in practice over Shedeur. Even though Shedeur was a fifth-round pick, he has potential and should be given more leeway than a 40-year-old. Flacco’s best days are behind him, but we don’t know what the future holds for Shedeur.
Not only that, but Gronk also felt that Flacco should be a trade candidate.
“I think Joe Flacco should get traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. He can give them a boost… Joe Flacco, if he did get traded to a team like that, their morale will get picked up; they’re possibly a playoff team. He’s a vet that can do what he needs to do to get the ball to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins,” added the former tight end.
Gronk says Shedeur Sanders should be the Browns’ backup QB after Joe Flacco’s benching@heykayadams | @RobGronkowski pic.twitter.com/A8jFTmmOg0
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 1, 2025
It was actually a perfect destination that Gronk recommended. After all, now-starter Jake Browning has struggled to right the ship since Joe Burrow went down with an injury. Flacco would most likely be better at getting the ball to the Bengals’ playmakers, who are being wasted away as of now. Even Jameis Winston could work there, as Gronkowski added.
Later, the former New England Patriot concluded by noting that Shedeur’s unique situation is not ideal.
“It’s not a situation that NFL fans want to see. Shedeur Sanders has a lot of fans out there. He’s polarizing. I mean, this guy’s electric. People want to see him succeed. He’s a big name; he’s got his father, who’s a Hall of Fame player. What he did at Colorado was a lot of great stuff. It’s electrifying when he’s on the field,” Gronkowski noted.
All of this is true. Gronk also couldn’t deny the unfortunate reality that Shedeur is currently facing.
“He needs to find some way to get on the field, and the Cleveland Browns have him stuck in quicksand right now. Which I don’t know why.”
No NFL fan really knows why Shedeur has been suppressed ever since he became a draft prospect. Some reports suggest that he had unprofessional interviews with teams at the combine, though it’s impossible to confirm the details of such interviews. Other reports claim that teams simply didn’t like the cockiness that he displayed during his time in college.
At the end of the day, there’s no questioning that Shedeur is polarizing. But he still deserves a chance to succeed. At one point, he was being touted as a first-round prospect. It would be silly for the Browns to handcuff themselves and not keep him prepared as the QB2 in case Gabriel gets injured.
There’s no point in going back to Flacco. The team is 1-3, and it’s a long shot they make the playoffs. It’s time to let the rookies get some quality reps and see what they’ve got.
