Calls Grow for Browns to Trade Shedeur Sanders After Preseason Disaster

The Cleveland Browns are adamant that they’ll keep four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster but some see the stance as “trade bait.”

The Browns have said they will keep Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders on the 53-man roster. Browns general manager Andrew Berry was clear that it’s the route the team will take during an interview on the broadcast of the final preseason game.

“It’s not much of a decision for us. All four guys have done what we’ve asked. Obviously, three of them have dealt with injuries throughout their time here,” Berry said. “The reality of it is, you have 53 roster spots, five are really developmental or inactive spots. Plus, post-COVID, the roster rules are so much more flexible. You can build your game day roster pretty creatively. Quarterback is the most important position in sports. We have a room where we like all the guys in there. We don’t see it as a problem, we see it as more of an opportunity.”

Berry’s statement raised some eyebrows, and not everyone believes that the Browns will take the unconventional route.

“Trade bait,” NFL insider Josina Anderson wrote on X in reference to Berry’s stance, shortly after posting an extended rant on Sanders.

Browns’ Shedeur Sanders Decision Revs Up Trade Talk

Sanders entered as the third quarterback during Saturday’s preseason tilt against the Los Angeles Rams. Flacco and Gabriel saw time in the first half. It was a disaster for the fifth-round pick, who was sacked five times and completed just three passes.

It looked like Sanders would receive a shot at a two-minute situation to win the game, but the Browns instead inserted Tyler Huntley. That didn’t sit well with many fans.

“Trust your eyes, and not the narrative the Browns are selling with keeping 4 QB’s. After Stefanski’s head-scratching move, I fully expect the Browns to trade or waive Shedeur Sanders,” one fan said. “His message to Shedeur couldn’t have been clearer: ‘I don’t want you.'”

“TRADE HIM! That’s why Shedeur had to go take a walk and laugh. His body language today said A LOT,” another fan added. “They made sure his last preseason game was a disaster to keep this narrative going.”

Noted talking head Skip Bayless also weighed in, saying, “GET SHEDEUR THE HELL OUT OF CLEVELAND, OUT FROM UNDER STEFANSKI.”

Shedeur Sanders on if He’ll Make Browns Roster: ‘Obviously’

Flacco will open the season as the Browns’ starter, but the rest of the quarterback depth chart remains unsettled. Cleveland isn’t expected to shake things up when it finalizes the order. Pickett, still working back from a hamstring injury, is projected to be the primary backup, while Gabriel and Sanders are viewed as developmental options.

Sanders was asked on Saturday after his preseason outing if he feels certain he’ll remain on the Browns’ roster.

“Obviously,” Sanders said. “I think overall as a player, I think I put in the work. I feel like everything I do, I try to do it to my best, and that’s all I can ask for. … I feel like I do, but I’m my own player. I think about myself in a high regard. It’s not my decision.”

The deadline is Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET for teams around the NFL to cut down their roster to 53 players.