Tony Grossi hints Kevin Stefanski being overruled on Shedeur Sanders’ QB2 promotion after Joe Flacco trade

Browns reporter Tony Grossi believes the decision to move Joe Flacco in order to bump Shedeur Sanders up the depth chart was a joint effort from general manager Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam.

Speaking on ESPN Cleveland this morning, Grossi explained that he believed the decision to trade Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals last week was an effort to get Shedeur Sanders up to the second-string role behind Dillon Gabriel. After Flacco was benched by head coach Kevin Stefanski in favor of Gabriel, it was made clear that Flacco would serve as Gabriel's backup rather than Sanders.

Soon after, Berry dealt Flacco to the Bengals, leaving Sanders as the only other active quarterback on the roster to back up Gabriel. Grossi emphasized that he doesn't believe Stefanski dislikes Sanders, but simply believes he isn't ready to lead the team, nor serve as its second-string signal-caller.

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"AB and the owner. I think that's why it's like it was traded to make this possible. Now, I don't, I won't say Kevin doesn't like Shedeur. I don't think Kevin believes Shedeur is ready even for the number two role. Okay, it's not that he doesn't like him. "He's a coach, and he sees everything through a quarterback lens, and he just doesn't believe he's ready. So for that reason, I don't think it was his decision, but he goes with the flow, and this is the reason Flacco was traded to make this possible, and that was inevitable that Shedeur would be moved up to number two."

Cleveland Browns scramble at quarterback in 2025

Syndication: Detroit Free Press - Source: Imagn

Cleveland had signed Flacco this past offseason to serve as their starting quarterback before drafting Gabriel and Sanders in the third and fifth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, respectively. Flacco struggled as the starter for Cleveland, throwing for 815 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions, racking up a QBR of 27.8 (which ranks 32nd in the NFL).

Stefanski made the decision to bench Flacco in favor of Gabriel for Cleveland's game against the Minnesota Vikings last week in London. While the Browns came up short, Gabriel put up a solid performance, completing 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Cleveland currently holds a record of 1-4 and is ranked third in the AFC North division standings. They gear up to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road this weekend in a pivotal divisional matchup.

Edited by Jon-Anthony Fuentes