It’s hard to say that the Cleveland Browns made the right choice at the quarterback position to start the season. Veteran Joe Flacco has really struggled, and the offense as a whole has suffered because of it. They are bottom three in points and the bottom 10 in yards. And Cleveland isn’t the only place experiencing poor QB play. There has been a lot of that going around, as Shedeur Sanders pointed out recently.
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Sanders remains the QB3 in Cleveland, and the fact that he hasn’t gotten a sniff at the field yet will certainly be frustrating, considering how bad the offense has been. Flacco is completing just about 60 percent of his passes, and he’s got twice as many INTs (four) as TDs (two).
Dillon Gabriel did get a bit of a look at the end of their blowout loss in Week 2, going 3-for-3 for 19 yards and a TD. Sanders was no doubt jealous of that little cameo. And whether that played into his decision to say that he thinks he could play better than a lot of QBs playing in the league right now, we’re not sure.
“I know for sure, I know if you see the quarterback play in the league right now, I know I’m capable of doing better than that. … I don’t think playing or not playing is in my hands. If things happen, things pan out where I play, then I’ll be out there and I’ll be ready to play. I’m ready to play right now.”
We don’t necessarily disagree with what Sanders is saying. But, like Emmanuel Acho, we would disagree on his decision to actually say it. Thinking this is fine. QBs need to have this kind of confidence. But actually saying it when you’re still two injuries away from seeing the field is not the greatest idea.
“There’s no issue with Shedeur Sanders thinking this. There’s a gigantic issue right now with Shedeur Sanders saying this. … Remember what happened during the preseason game, when Dillon Gabriel said I’m about execution, other people are about entertainment. … Shedeur, you’re doing the same thing!”
He shouldn’t have communicated these thoughts, but they are very reasonable thoughts. When you’ve got guys like Spencer Rattler, Cam Ward, Jake Browning, Flacco, Michael Penix, Bryce Young, and Tua Tagovailoa struggling to varying degrees, you’re going to think about what you might be able to do better in those situations.
For now, Flacco seems like he’s still entrenched as the starter, though we’re not sure why head coach Kevin Stefanski is remaining so loyal to a 41-year-old through these struggles. For Cleveland’s sake, we hope Gabriel takes over sooner rather than later. At that point, Sanders would be one snap away from the field.
