When the Cleveland Browns enter training camp in July, there’s a strong possibility that Shedeur Sanders will be fourth on the team’s quarterback depth chart.
Currently, the team sports a pair of veterans in Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel, who was drafted in the third round ahead of Sanders, figures to be ahead of the Colorado product on the depth chart.
Someone who agrees with that order is ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, who thinks it’s very possible that Sanders won’t even make the roster out of training camp.
“Getting drafted behind Gabriel adds an element of uncertainty to Sanders’ rookie season,” Reid wrote. “While he was widely ranked ahead of the third-rounder before the draft, Sanders will likely begin training camp as the fourth QB on the depth chart and won’t be guaranteed a roster spot. Cleveland did trade up to draft him, which should afford him more time to develop, but Sanders likely has a longer pathway to the field unless he completely outplays his competition.”
It’s hard to disagree with that sentiment, and we could definitely see Sanders not making the cut given the circumstances, but there are a few ways this could go.
If Gabriel and Sanders show enough to warrant a roster spot, Cleveland could go on to trade one of Pickett or Flacco to a team that needs a backup quarterback. There is also the possibility that the Browns simply carry four quarterbacks.
That would certainly be unusual, but this is the Browns we’re talking about here. For a team that routinely strikes out on quarterbacks, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Cleveland give itself as many options as possible.
Regardless of the direction this thing goes, the Browns’ quarterback situation is one of the most interesting storylines of the entire NFL offseason.
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