The Cleveland Browns have officially changed their starting quarterback for Week 5. Joe Flacco has been benched, and rookie Dillon Gabriel is the starter. Kevin Stefanski himself announced the shuffle, assuring that the rookie QB is “ready to go in as a starter.” However, it looks like Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London didn’t get the memo, because they seem to believe Shedeur Sanders is starting. 

Just hours before the Week 5 game was set to begin in London, Sanders took the spotlight. Apparently, London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium overlooked Cleveland’s actual Week 5 starter and featured their No. 3 QB, Sanders, sporting the Browns jersey.  NFL analyst Tony Grossi didn’t hesitate to point it out, writing,

“Tottenham didn’t get the memo about who’s starting at QB for Browns.” Does this mean Sanders is starting against the Minnesota Vikings? 

Officially? No. However, the former Colorado quarterback was seen doing some drills with the Browns’ starting lineup. It happened during the pre-game warmups, and the young QB showed elite accuracy. That brief on-field glimpse wasn’t just a random warmup. It came right after some buzz about what the Browns actually have planned for him.

Yesterday, Insider Ian Rapoport released a report about the Browns’ plans with the quarterback room. It answered the question that many wondered when Stefanski made Flacco the backup instead of Sanders. The insider revealed that it’s because they only want to bring Sanders under center after curating a specialized plan for his skill set. 

“When he does play, it would be with a full week of practice and a game plan built for him,” wrote Rapoport.

The Browns aren’t rushing Sanders’ development; instead, they are giving him time to grow, and it’s “happens every day.” The bottom line is, Rapoport expects Sanders to get into action before the season ends.

Shedeur Sanders draws criticism over his silent interview 

It was given that the Browns ought to make Sanders and Gabriel starters at some point in time. However, Flacco’s failure (eight turnovers in four games) compelled Stefanski and his team to act quickly.

Things became intense with Sanders after he gave reporters a silent interview. He did mouth a response, but there was no voice to it. Pundits like Dan Orlovsky labeled the rookie’s behavior “immature.” He believes there are a thousand ways Sanders could have handled the media when asked about Gabriel being a starter. Yet, he chose to make a spectacle. 

“Is there another team, a general manager, a president, a decision maker that’s going, ‘I liked that. I liked that. I think that person’s going to help us.’” Orlovsky pointed out. Interestingly, the fans also didn’t like Sanders’ attitude during the interview. 

So the next day, the 23-year-old sent a one-word message to his teammate. Sharing a picture of them practicing together, Sanders showed his support for Gabriel, writing, “#dawgs” and tagging him on his Instagram story. Sanders appears to be accepting things which only bodes well for the team in the long term.