Opposing defenses have zero fear of what Dillon Gabriel can do at QB, as was apparent in the Cleveland Browns’ on-road loss against the New England Patriots. That begs one to presume that Shedeur Sanders’ chance at a regular-season debut might come sooner rather than later. But a back injury restricting him from being on the active list can be frustrating. All Sanders can do at this point is to recover, and recover fast. The latest on his injury is that he is doing everything he can.

“Straight bro, treatment every day,” Sanders said during an October 29 livestream when a fan asked about his health. “We getting back, we getting back, going again, back on top, bro.”

He was added to the injury report on Saturday. The 23-year-old wasn’t on the report all week, but during Friday’s practice, his back tightened up, and soon, Bailey Zappe found himself as the backup against the Patriots. While Sanders still hasn’t made his regular-season debut, this is his second injury since joining the NFL.

Sanders suffered an oblique injury during the preseason in August. Owing to that, he was held out of the first day of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles. But he didn’t miss much time because of it. 

Regardless, Sanders’ new update seems like good news for a team that is at the bottom of the AFC with a 2-6 record. Plus, the team has a bye week before they play the New York Jets in Week 10. 

The Jets are having an incredibly bad season, and this just might be the opportunity for the Browns to snag a win. Though there is no confirmation if Sanders will be back by then, speculations suggest he might return to his backup role post the bye. That bye week could turn out to be helpful.

Nonetheless, Sanders might still not play anytime soon. HC Kevin Stefanski has been unwilling to consider a switch. In fact, he reiterated on Monday that Dillon Gabriel would remain the starter against the Jets. The reason might be continuity. 

Though a section of fans have been begging the coach to bench Gabriel and let Sanders play, Stefanski is fixated on immediate results instead of developmental reps for Sanders. And it seems to have caused a divide in Cleveland. 

Their offense is still trying to find its footing, and the next few weeks might tell us whether the coach’s trust in Gabriel will pay off. However, former Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden doesn’t believe that is going to happen.

 Joe Haden doesn’t think Gabriel is the answer to the Browns’ woes

Haden, who played for Cleveland for seven years, made his case on the Honor the Land show. “Dillon Gabriel. I don’t think he’s the answer,” he said. “I don’t want it to seem like I’m forcing Dillon out of there, like I wanna give him a valid shot. I think Shedeur Sander is going to be a very good quarterback, and I would like to give him a chance.”

He believes Sanders would throw more of those deep passes and show more accuracy.

On the other hand, Gabriel has completed 59.9% of his passes for 702 yards, along with five touchdowns and two interceptions. That doesn’t sound bad, but his 4.9 average yards per pass show a different aspect. The QB doesn’t like risks.

So, it is possible that Shedeur Sanders might give their offense a higher ceiling, but nothing can be said for sure until we see him play. What do you think?