Shedeur Sanders's Chances of Taking Field in 2025 Gets Rough Update From NFL Insider

Shedeur Sanders's rookie year is about to get underway, but any fans hoping to see him on the field for the Browns during his first year will apparently have to temper those expectations.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini wrote Saturday about Cleveland's belief in starting quarterback Joe Flacco and his backup Dillon Gabriel, Sanders's fellow rookie. She did note the organization's optimism for Sanders in the long term; any potential playing time just doesn't seem likely this year, however.

"For all the football conspiracy theorists out there trying to decode the real reason the Cleveland Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders, here’s the truth: There is no big secret," she wrote. "The pick wasn’t some master plan from ownership. It was GM Andrew Berry’s call, rooted in his belief that Cleveland’s coaching staff could bring out the best in Sanders and help him grow into an NFL quarterback. It will be a process, and the Browns want to keep developing him.

"However, don’t plan on seeing the fifth-round rookie on the field this season unless things get really weird. Cleveland believes in Joe Flacco’s experience and Dillon Gabriel’s development as the backup."

Cleveland selected Sanders in the fifth round of April's NFL draft with the No. 144 pick after they chose Gabriel in the third round with pick No. 94. Sanders impressed when he got the call to start the Browns' first preseason game. He wasn't active for the team's second preseason contest but was able to play in their final exhibition and struggled in the outing.

The team named Flacco their Week 1 starter a few weeks ago with Gabriel serving as his backup and Sanders as the third-string QB. Even with the former Colorado quarterback at the bottom of the depth chart, there was some speculation that he might see the field as a rookie if Flacco isn't able to lead the team in the right direction and the Browns opt to give both rookie quarterbacks an opportunity. While that could still happen theoretically, it appears like an unlikely outcome according to Russini's new report just ahead of Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Bengals.