Shedeur Sanders is officially set to become the 42nd quarterback to start a game for the Cleveland Browns since 1999, and the wait for his debut might be the longest-brewing one yet. The hype is real, but he also knows the window to prove himself to Kevin Stefanski is going to be small. Former Browns corner Joe Haden kept his advice simple.

On the Deebo and Joe podcast, when James Harrison asked whether Sanders would be another Dillon Gabriel-type – safe, cautious, unwilling to push the ball downfield. Haden didn’t overthink it. To him, Sanders just needs to play clean football.

“Shedeur, nobody’s asking you to go out there and be a world beater,” Haden said.

“We’re just asking you to go in there and (make) the simple throws…We need you to run the ball. Just smart decisions. When you get to the red zone, try to get touchdowns instead of interceptions. For you to go out there and just be a consistent quarterback, just not turn the ball over and hit simple passes that we need.”

Haden’s voice matters here. He’s been one of Sanders’ loudest supporters since Joe Flacco left. He’s been clear that Gabriel isn’t the long-term answer for a struggling offense, and that Kevin Stefanski should at least see what Sanders can offer.

But the truth is, “simple” isn’t going to fix the Browns’ offense anymore. Gabriel already played the safe game. He protected the ball, avoided the deep shots, and mostly lived underneath. It led to only two interceptions and a 59.2% completion rate in eight appearances, but also just seven touchdown passes and a single win. Playing it safe hasn’t really done much for this offense.

If Sanders wants to give this team any sort of spark, he’s going to have to push the ball and take chances that Gabriel refused to take. He needs to take risks and trust his arm. That’s the only way to make a difference.

And amidst all the talk about Sanders starting this week, Kevin Stefanski named his backup quarterback.

Kevin Stefanski names Bailey Zappe as QB2

After missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday, Dillon Gabriel finally made it back onto the field on Friday. But he’s still in the concussion protocol, and that was enough for Kevin Stefanski to make a call on the backup job for Sunday.

“Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Dillon Gabriel still in concussion protocol but progressing well. Practiced today but won’t play Sunday. Bailey Zappe will be the backup for Shedeur Sanders,” reporter Scott Petrak wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Zappe hasn’t played much football since the Patriots let him go. He landed briefly in Kansas City on a $1.1 million deal, was cut, and then found his way to Cleveland’s practice squad a few days later on a one-year, $985,000 contract. He’s made just one start this season, completing 51.6% of his passes for 170 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in a losing effort.

And with the way Stefanski has tiptoed around trusting Shedeur Sanders, you can’t rule out the possibility that Zappe could see the field if things unravel. Sanders’ debut last week wasn’t exactly pretty. He went 4-for-16 for 47 yards and a pick. He failed to make the Browns’ offense click.

The one thing working in Sanders’ favor now is that, for the first time, he’s taken the bulk of the first-team reps during the week. If anything is going to look different for him on Sunday, it’ll have to start there.