Shedeur Sanders' Injury Status Updated by Browns HC, Latest Depth Chart for Jets Game

Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders will be back in the mix this week as the Cleveland Browns' backup after missing their last game.

According to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Friday that Sanders will be the team's No. 2 quarterback behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel for Sunday's road game against the New York Jets.

The Browns were on the bye last week, but one week earlier, Sanders was inactive against the New England Patriots due to a back injury. In his place, Bailey Zappe was elevated from the practice squad to serve as Gabriel's backup.

Selected by the Browns with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, Sanders has outlasted multiple other quarterbacks to move within one step of getting a shot at the starting job.

During the preseason, the Browns rostered Gabriel, Sanders, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, but they traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders before the start of the regular season.

Flacco began the regular season as the starter with Gabriel as the backup and Sanders as the No. 3, only for the Browns to trade Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7 after naming Gabriel the new starter.

In four starts, Gabriel is 1-3, and over the six games he has appeared in, Gabriel is completing 59.9 percent of his passes for 702 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Gabriel, who was a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, has not been overly impressive thus far, throwing for less than 200 yards in three of his four starts.

If the 2-6 Browns' losing ways continue, it is not outside the realm of possibility that Sanders could get a chance to start at some point.

After all, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters before the start of the 2025 NFL season that it is "absolutely" important to see what both Gabriel and Sanders can do in game situations before deciding whether to use a first-round pick on a quarterback in 2026.

Entering the 2025 draft, Sanders was widely viewed by analysts and fans as a potential first-round pick.

Over two seasons as the starting quarterback at the University of Colorado, Sanders completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

He was also named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2024.

Sanders fell all the way to Day 3 in the draft despite that, but he landed in a good spot since the Browns did not have a clear answer regarding who their starting quarterback would be.

While Sanders remains the backup for now, it may not be much longer before he gets his chance to start if Gabriel doesn't show more than he has thus far.