Browns coach not yet ready to tab Sanders QB2

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns manager Kevin Stefanski connected Wednesday was noncommittal connected if rookie Shedeur Sanders -- oregon signifier squad backmost Bailey Zappe -- would beryllium the team's backup backmost successful the aftermath of trading Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Cleveland connected Tuesday traded Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round prime to Cincinnati successful speech for a 2026 fifth-round pick, leaving Sanders and chap rookie Dillon Gabriel arsenic the lone quarterbacks connected the progressive roster. However, Stefanski said helium would "let the week play retired [and] marque a determination later" erstwhile asked astir the QB2 role.

"All roster benignant of things, I ever person to beryllium mindful of our players and our players' development," Stefanski said. "And I privation to marque definite that I'm ever doing what's champion for our players and, of course, our team. But with young players, I'm ever reasoning astir -- past week, making the alteration to Dillon, you person to deliberation agelong and hard astir that, due to the fact that these are young players that you are truthful invested successful their development. So, I'll fto the determination play retired [and] marque a determination later."

Stefanski besides would not accidental if the squad would motion Zappe to the progressive roster up of Sunday's crippled truthful that 1 of the backups could service arsenic the inactive, exigency quarterback.

Last week, Stefanski confirmed that Gabriel received reps with the starting discourtesy during the regular play arsenic the backup. When asked if Sanders and Zappe would divided immoderate first-team reps this week, Stefanski said, "Need to enactment done it all. Again, truly similar the guys we have. We conscionable got to enactment done each it."

Sanders, the 144th prime successful this year's draft, has been inactive arsenic the No. 3 and exigency QB done the Browns' archetypal 5 games. In the aftermath of trading Flacco, Cleveland connected Tuesday listed Sanders arsenic its No. 2 QB connected this week's unofficial extent chart.

"I wouldn't accidental there's 1 happening you request to spot [from Sanders]," Stefanski said. "In my role, I person to bash what's champion for our players, our team, and I'm very, precise invested successful our subordinate development, our young players development, our backmost development. So, immoderate determination I make, I privation to conscionable marque definite that I'm doing what's close for our players."

Flacco started the archetypal 4 games earlier being benched for Gabriel, who made his archetypal vocation commencement past Sunday, a 21-17 nonaccomplishment to the Minnesota Vikings successful London. Stefanski said that the commercialized "took america by surprise" and that the Bengals reached retired to the squad astir a imaginable deal.

Deshaun Watson remains connected the physically incapable to execute database arsenic helium rehabs from an Achilles injury. Stefanski did not supply an update connected if Watson would instrumentality to signifier soon but said, "he's doing an fantabulous occupation with his rehab."