Browns weigh backup plan after Flacco trade to Bengals

The Cleveland Browns are keeping their options unfastened astatine backmost aft sending Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. The trade, completed Tuesday, moved Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round prime for a 2026 fifth, leaving 2 rookies connected the progressive roster. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are successful place, portion practice-squad passer Bailey Zappe could beryllium elevated if needed.

Head manager Kevin Stefanski would not sanction a No. 2 for Sunday. He said helium would “let the week play retired [and] marque a determination later,” stressing subordinate growth: “All roster benignant of things, I ever person to beryllium mindful of our players and our players’ development… with young players, I’m ever reasoning astir it… I’ll fto the determination play retired [and] marque a determination later.” He besides declined to accidental whether Zappe volition beryllium signed to the 53 for an exigency role.

Reps, roles, and what comes next

Gabriel took first-team reps during the regular play arsenic the backup and made his archetypal vocation commencement successful London, a 21–17 nonaccomplishment to Minnesota. When asked whether Sanders and Zappe would divided immoderate top-unit snaps this week, the manager answered, “Need to enactment done it all. Again, truly similar the guys we have. We conscionable got to enactment done each it.”

Sanders, the 144th pick, has been inactive arsenic the exigency backmost for the archetypal 5 games. After the trade, the team’s unofficial extent illustration listed him arsenic the No. 2. Stefanski said determination is nary azygous trial helium needs to spot from him: “In my role, I person to bash what’s champion for our players, our team… I’m very, precise invested successful our… backmost development.”

The deal, helium noted, “took america by surprise,” adding that Cincinnati initiated the talks. The injured starter remains connected the physically incapable to execute database portion rehabbing an Achilles tear. The manager offered nary timeline, lone that helium is “doing an fantabulous occupation with his rehab.”