The Cleveland Browns may have went into the season with Shedeur Sanders buried on the depth chart as the fourth-string quarterback, but a pair of trades at the position may have created a path to some more immediate playing time in his rookie season.
A few weeks after Kenny Pickett was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders to back up Geno Smith, aging veteran Joe Flacco was sent to the division rival Cincinnati Bengals along with a sixth-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Dillon Gabriel is now the starting quarterback, with Sanders as the backup.