Questions remain about the injury that sidelined Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders ahead of Week 8.
Sanders was a late addition to the injury report after sustaining a back issue. He tested it out before the matchup against the New England Patriots, but the team ultimately decided to hold him out.
“Obviously came in Saturday with his back injury. We were hopeful that he’d be able to move around well enough to suit up on Sunday. But we put him through a pregame warm-up and just didn’t feel like he was ready to play,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He’s getting better every day, and I’m hopeful that he’ll continue to improve.”
After the game, Sanders told reporters that it wasn’t his decision to sit and guaranteed that he’d be healthy and ready to roll following the bye week.
As is often the case with Sanders, the injury has sparked some controversy — with some questioning why both he and the team have been so vague about the details of the situation.
“He’s doing social media, he has a team around him filming his every move but we don’t know how he sustained an injury? That invites a bunch of questions. How would we not know? We know everything about his life but we don’t know this?” Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan said in an extended rant. “I’m wondering why we don’t know what the injury is from someone who talks every chance he gets. Is he hiding what it is?”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Remaining Ready
The injury is notable because of the chatter around Sanders potentially stepping into the starting role in Cleveland. Fellow rookie and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel has started the last four games but has posted a 1-3 record.
Gabriel has struggled to spark the offense or provide explosive plays. He’s passed for 702 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. But he’s averaging just 4.9 yards per attempt, which is near the bottom of the league.
Sanders getting his turn with the Browns does not appear imminent. However, he shared that he’s remaining in Cleveland during the bye week to get “big ready” for the second half of the season.
“Am I coming to see you homecoming? Nah, I’m not coming to see you on homecoming. I can’t make it out there,” Sanders said on a live stream about going back to Colorado. “I wish I could, though, but it just can’t happen. I got treatment out here. I can’t be eh. I gotta get ready. Big ready.”
Browns Not Giving Shedeur Sanders Starter Reps
Stefanski said the team’s “focus” isn’t on making a quarterback change right now. And if Sanders does get the call, he’ll need time to get up to speed. He hasn’t taken any first-team reps, unlike Gabriel, who worked with the starters earlier in the season while backing up Joe Flacco.
“With a young quarterback, with Dillon starting, you want to make sure he gets a lot of the reps. It’s different when you have a veteran with Joe,” Stefanski said.
Gabriel and the Browns’ offense have a prime opportunity to turn things around following the bye week. Cleveland is heading to New York to take on the one-win Jets, who ranked 28th in points given up this season.
