Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has officially named his QB2 after rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel spent preseason battling it out for the position.
The Browns have spent the majority of the offseason with a packed quarterback room, with as many as five signal callers on their roster before veteran Joe Flacco ultimately sealed the starting position.
Now, with Kenny Pickett traded to the Las Vegas Raiders and Tyler Huntley cut, Stefanski has revealed which of the two rookies have come out on top.
The coach officially named Gabriel as Cleveland’s first backup with Sanders coming in third in the team’s depth chart.
There had been great speculation over Sanders’ position in the team after the Browns finally drafted him with the 144th pick in April’s Draft.
Sanders – the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders – suffered humiliation as the former Colorado quarterback, who had bee projected by many to be a first-round pick, tumbled all the way to the fifth.
Shedeur Sanders will serve as third string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns this season
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski made his final decision on the quarterback battle
Dillion Gabriel (pictured) has been named backup quarterback behind veteran Joe Flacco
He looked to have been handed a lifeline, however, when he enjoyed a stunning debut in their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers before missing the second game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to an oblique injury.
Saturday’s clash against the Los Angeles Rans represented his final chance to cement his place on the roster before today’s deadline.
But he was replaced for the final drive of the preseason game against the Rams after enduring a nightmare afternoon.
The quarterback suffered a punishing afternoon, taking nearly as many sacks (five) as passes he attempted (six).
However, Sanders was replaced by Tyler Huntley, rather than Gabriel. In a surprising twist to the quarterback saga in Cleveland, Huntley was released by the Browns just hours later.
The Browns lost another quarterback on Monday evening when they traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
Cleveland acquired Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles in March for quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
But now, he is expected to provide backup for Geno Smith in Sin City with Aidan O’Connell expected to be out for six to eight weeks after suffering a fractured wrist.
