Shedeur Sanders was not among the Cleveland Browns players who were made available to the media on Monday. Head coach Todd Monken didn’t even mention Sanders by name during his nine-minute session with reporters.
Sanders is still such a lightning-rod topic among NFL fans that he became the subject of a storyline that sparked immediate speculation on social media and, of course, quickly spiraled out of control.
Two things happened during Monken’s presser. He wouldn’t rule out carrying three active quarterbacks on game days, with an eye on potentially utilizing rookie Taylen Green’s dual-threat abilities with a special package of plays. He also acknowledged that “three is a lot,” as the Browns would be leaving themselves thin at other position groups by not utilizing the emergency QB3 designation.
None of this has anything to do with Sanders’ standing as the top backup to Deshaun Watson, though. Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi put it best on Monday night as the discourse about Sanders being "demoted" swirled online
“After the Browns' preseason finale, Todd Monken said, ‘I don’t see it that way’ when asked if Dillon Gabriel or Taylen Green changed his plans at QB1 or QB2.
Today, he said there ‘could be’ a package of plays with Taylen Green on game days, the first time he has acknowledged the possibility. He also said ‘three's a lot’ when asked about having all 3 QBs active. Gamesmanship ahead of Week 1?
The Browns like Green, and I know weird things happen in Cleveland, but let's also remember Green went days without taking reps in training camp and only played the second half of a preseason finale.”
Taylen Green's potential Week 1 package doesn't change Sanders' standing as QB2
In case you missed it, Monken, who’s had a knack for oversharing during his press conferences, was asked if there was a world in which Green could be active for the season opener at Jacksonville “as a special-package guy” or “maybe even as the backup.”
Monken answered the first part of that question. He never addressed the second part.
As Oyefusi alluded to, he didn’t have to. The Browns’ allocation of quarterback reps throughout training camp and the preseason paints a pretty clear picture of how things should play out.
The possibility of Green being active on game days with a special package of plays is an intriguing storyline, but it doesn’t change anything for Sanders. He was in the running to be the Browns’ starting quarterback until the 11th hour, and Monken has done nothing but heap praise on Sanders for his work ethic and improvement over the past five months.
Green isn’t there yet — and it’s really not close. Aside from rookie minicamp, he rarely got meaningful practice reps until the Aug. 20 joint practice with the Buffalo Bills. He didn’t make his preseason debut until the second half of Game 3, which is playing time typically reserved for fringe roster players.
The harsh reality here is that Sanders isn't a serious candidate to be the emergency QB3 on game days. The Browns will need him if Watson suffers an injury that knocks him out of a game. Green may be ready to execute a small package of situational plays, but he’s not ready to come in cold and lead the offense against real NFL defenses. That’s the job the Browns have been grooming Sanders for all summer.
Again, it’s Sanders we’re talking about here, and fans and aggregators can’t help themselves. But the Browns can explore utilizing Green’s rushing ability at quarterback — or at least make the Jaguars prepare like they are — while keeping Sanders as the top backup to Watson. Those two jobs are not mutually exclusive.
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