Overview

• The team has named Dillon Gabriel the near-term starter with Shedeur Sanders elevated to primary backup after Joe Flacco was traded to the Bengals.
• Jason Lloyd of The Athletic says the organization does not view Sanders as ready to start, a view echoed by caution from Cleveland reporter Mary Kay Cabot.
• Cleveland’s offense is averaging 13.7 points per game, the lowest mark in the NFL since the switch from Flacco to Gabriel.
• Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema projects Cleveland could target Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in the 2026 draft if neither rookie secures the job.
• Madden lowered Sanders’ rating from 67 to 66, prompting a puzzled Instagram response from the rookie as outside scrutiny of the QB situation intensifies.