Ex-Colorado Buffaloes football ‘leader’ Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel on Browns' table before NFL trade deadline

Ex-Colorado Buffaloes football ‘leader’ Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel on Browns' table before NFL trade deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News

Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel could all be on the table for the Cleveland Browns ahead of the 2025 NFL trade deadline, which is six weeks away on November 4. Kenny Pickett, the team’s other arm during training camp, was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders right before the regular season, after a wrist injury to Aidan O’Connell.

ESPN's Dan Graziano sees the quarterback room being just some of the potential casualties across Cleveland’s depth chart if the team continues to lose at their current pace.

“Starting the season 0-2 and seemingly already positioning themselves to be a big factor in next year's draft (two first-round picks), the Browns could very easily be dealing away players by early November,” Graziano wrote.

“Cornerback Greg Newsome II and tight end David Njoku are among the veterans in the final years of their contracts who could be of interest to teams looking for help at the deadline. And a quarterbacks room that has 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders is going to keep being talked about in these types of discussions.”

Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot revealed that a switch-up in Kevin Stefanski’s backfield is unlikely at the QB position over the next month, with the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers looming on the schedule.

“I think it depends on how Joe looks over the next couple of weeks,” Cabot told host Anthony Kima on the “Ken Carman Show.” “I don’t think they’re in any rush to get Dillon out there. I think they’re in a stretch right now of four out of five games on the road. They’re facing three really tough NFC North teams, playoff teams, and great defenses. So, they have a lot of things going on right now.

“I think it behooves them to have a veteran presence in there. But certainly, he’s got to make sure that he’s protecting the football. That’s job number one. And if he can do that, then he’ll keep his job.”

This all means Flacco could be playing solely to improve his trade value at this stage. If there are no takers, Dillon Gabriel moves into the QB1 spot should the losing continue.

Coach Prime’s former designated “leader” in Boulder, Shedeur, remains riding the pine in that situation, unless Andrew Berry can get creative and broker deals for both Gabriel and Flacco. That’s far less likely than a deal involving Sanders himself, though.

Which puts us right back at square one, where any and all of the Browns’ signal-callers are one call away from being rerouted to a new home.