Browns' Shedeur Sanders Reportedly Expected to Play This Season 'When He's Ready'

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to play "at some point this season when he's ready," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.

Rapoport noted that Sanders would work up toward his NFL debut "with a full week of practice and a game plan built for him."

The Browns benched veteran Joe Flacco in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel ahead of Sunday's London game against the Minnesota Vikings. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sanders would remain his team's third-string option despite the switch.

Rapoport wrote that Sanders was not promoted because the Browns want him "to be successful when he's out there."

"When he plays, they want him to do so with a game plan that is made for him to thrive," Rapoport wrote. "As the backup, if he was forced into action, he'd be running a game plan built for Gabriel, rather than one built to his strengths."

Rapoport's report comes after Sanders, when asked last week by ESPN Cleveland about his current mindset, said he is "ready to play right now."

Dillon appeared in two games before he was named starter, while Sanders has yet to make his regular-season NFL debut. So far this season he has been tasked with running the scout team, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.

Rapoport also addressed a viral interview Sanders gave in the Browns locker room after Gabriel was named starter, in which he mimed answers to questions rather than speaking out loud.

"Sources say Sanders had a discussion with team officials that his approach to that media session was a message that got lost in translation," Rapoport wrote.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said in July the Browns would "absolutely" need to play at least one of Gabriel and Sanders before deciding what to do with the team's two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL draft, per The Athletic's Zac Jackson.

How Gabriel performs in his first start this weekend could influence both how the Browns decide to manager Sanders' development and how the club approaches the draft next spring.

Week 5 in London is set to kick off Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET.