As the Cleveland Browns shuffle the deck and turn to Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is confused by what’s happening elsewhere on the depth chart. Specifically, he doesn’t get why Shedeur Sanders has been relegated to the third spot on the depth chart, behind veteran Joe Flacco .
Cleveland is clearly comfortable turning to youth at this point, so why not fully embrace the movement? Smith weighed in on the topic on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday morning.
“Listen, I don’t understand why you can’t put Shedeur as your QB2,” Smith said. “Personally, I don’t get that part. And here’s why I’m saying that: Flacco knows Father Time has caught up with him, he’s not what he used to be. He’s happy to be on an NFL roster, to contribute in any way that he possibly can. He knows that he’s a stop-gap for the young guns coming up the rear. He knows that. So there’s nothing wrong with putting him at the QB3 spot.”
Ultimately, what happens should the Browns have to move past Gabriel remains unclear. Is Shedeur Sanders No. 3 in name only, such that Cleveland would turn to him if Gabriel got hurt or was playing poorly?
Regardless, it’s more about what Flacco brings to the table, Smith said. He continued expanding on his argument.