The Cleveland Browns made a big decision on Wednesday morning, announcing Dillon Gabriel as the starting quarterback for their Week 5 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The move is somewhat surprising as the Browns will head to London with a new quarterback, but it may also be shocking because Joe Flacco will be the No. 2 QB ahead of Shedeur Sanders.
The decision to put Flacco in the No. 2 spot could raise some eyebrows as it comes one week after Sanders declared he was ready to see the field. However, it didn't take long for Sanders to demonstrate the Browns made the right decision as he pantomimed his answer to several questions from reporters (h/t @Spencito_) about Gabriel winning the starting job.
Shedeur Sanders Creates Another Browns Headache By Saying Nothing at All
Sanders had a reason for pantomiming his answers. ESPN analyst and former NFL head coach Rex Ryan criticized the rookie, telling him to “stop embarrassing himself” (h/t @awfulannouncing) after his comments during an interview last week. Sanders said he could play at a higher level than some of the quarterbacks in the NFL right now, and those comments quickly exploded on social media, even making their way to head coach Kevin Stefanski, creating another firestorm for the third-string quarterback.
Sanders has been a polarizing figure since he slid from potential top draft pick to Day 3 selection, falling to the Browns in the fifth round of April’s draft. His persona was one of the reasons teams passed on the Colorado star and son of NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, but so was the fact that he needed some time to develop.
The latter part was proven in the draft when the Browns took Gabriel in the third round and Sanders had a lackluster preseason, completing 17-of-29 (58.6%) of his passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to the struggles, Sanders seemed to be focused on what was being said outside the building, including an altercation with Browns reporter Tony Grossi after his preseason debut.
While you could argue that the media had it coming or was trying to stir the pot by going to Sanders again, it also wouldn’t have been hard to turn the interview down and suggest they talk to Gabriel or Flacco. Instead, Sanders went viral without saying a word, creating more drama when the Browns need to be focusing on hosting the Vikings in Week 5.
Sanders had a stellar career at Colorado and was deserving of the hype he had entering the draft. But if he concentrated as hard on his development as much as what the media was saying about him, he may have been the one Stefanski tabbed to start on Sunday.
Instead, he created more drama that most teams don’t want to deal with. Whether Sanders ever turns things around remains to be seen, but, for now, it appears that the Browns made the right decision by going with Gabriel as the QB1.