Shedeur Sanders named third-string Browns QB after signing of Bailey Zappe

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Thursday that Shedeur Sanders is the team’s third-string quarterback and will dress for the games. This comes after the Browns signed quarterback Bailey Zappe to the roster.

With Sanders being the No. 3 quarterback, Zappe will be part of the practice squad. The Browns already announced that Joe Flacco will be the starting QB, and rookie Dillon Gabriel will be the backup. Former starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list and will miss at least the first four games of the season.

Shedeur Sanders, whom the Browns selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft, spent the entirety of training camp as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. At that time, the team had Kenny Pickett on the roster, but the Browns traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday.

Shedeur Sanders thinks about himself ‘in a high regard’

Over the weekend, Sanders spoke to reporters about what he should be on the 53-man roster. “Obviously. I think overall as a player I’ve put in the work and everything I do I try to do it the best and that’s all I ask for,” Sanders said after the team’s final preseason game. “I feel like everybody feels like they should be on the team, and if you ask anybody if they feel like they belong, they belong in their own eyes. So I feel like I do, but I’m my own player. I think about myself in a high regard.”

Sanders finished the preseason with 152 passing yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, 19 rushing yards and was sacked seven times. He also had 19 rushing yards on four carries.

One of the biggest stories of the offseason was Sanders dropping to the fifth round of the draft. After having a stellar career at Colorado, Sanders was projected to be selceted in the first round. In 2024, Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 games.

We’ll have more on this story shortly.