NFL NEWS: Kevin Stefanski announces Shedor Sanders as the Browns’ backup quarterback
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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Friday that Shedor Sanders will be the team’s backup quarterback for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns traded Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, opening the door for Sanders to be added to the active roster for the first time in his career. In the team’s first five games, he was the emergency third-string quarterback.
Flacco struggled as the Browns went 1-3 in his four starts. He completed just over 58% of his passes for 815 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions before he was benched in favor of Dillon Gabriel. Flacco served as the team’s backup in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5.
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Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on September 28, 2025 in Detroit. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)
Stefanski did not commit to having Sanders as the backup quarterback on Wednesday, making fans wonder if the Browns would opt to promote starting quarterback Billy Zappe instead. Zabi started the team’s final season in 2024.
Sanders said Thursday he was excited about the prospect of supporting Dillon Gabriel.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedor Sanders runs the offense during training camp at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. (Ken Blaze/Imagine Images)
“I’m in a great frame of mind overall,” Sanders said. “I would say you tend to be a little more excited when you see a light at the end of the tunnel, for sure. … Whatever my role is here, I’m grateful. I’m happy just to do it.”
Gabriel made his first career start in the team’s 21-17 loss to the Vikings last week in London. The 24-year-old completed 57.6% of his passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedor Sanders warms up before a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on September 28, 2025. (David Regennick/Imagine Images)
The Browns (1-4) face the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) on the road on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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