Kevin Stefanski not ready to say if Shedeur Sanders will be No. 2 QB, says Joe Flacco trade came as 'surprise'

BEREA — Coach Kevin Stefanski said he's not ready to say if Shedeur Sanders will be the No. 2 quarterback Sunday when the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to play the first-place Steelers.The Browns have a hole at the top backup spot after trading 40-year-old Joe Flacco to the rival Bengals on Tuesday. The Browns gave up Flacco and a sixth-round pick in 2026 to move up to the fifth round.The other option behind rookie starter Dillon Gabriel is Bailey Zappe, who's on the practice squad. He has started nine games in his career, including the finale last year for the Browns.Browns trade Joe Flacco to Bengals in first deal between rivalsStefanski said they're still working through the decision about who will be the No. 2. He said the organization was caught "by surprise" by the trade and wasn't expecting to deal Flacco.But the Bengals called Tuesday and wanted Flacco, who was benched after going 1-3 as the starter to open the year. The Bengals (2-3) want Flacco to replace Jake Browning as the starter. Joe Burrow had toe surgery and will miss much, if not all, of the rest of the season.The move left Stefanski with a decision to make about who would play if Gabriel were to get hurt during a game. Sanders has a huge following he's yet to take a regular-season snap and spent the first five games as the emergency No. 3."First, I have to tell you is that the Joe trade took us by surprise," Stefanski said Wednesday when asked if Sanders will be the No. 2. "That was not something that we saw coming. They called us and it happened very fast and happened not too long ago. Still working through all roster type of things."I always have to be mindful of our players and our players' development and I want to make sure that I'm always doing what's best for our players and, of course, our team. But with young players, I'm always thinking about, last week making the change to Dillon, you have to think long and hard about that because these are young players that you're so invested in their development. So I'll let the week play out and make a decision later on that."For Zappe to be the No. 2, he'd have to be elevated from the practice squad or signed to the active roster. The emergency No. 3 must be on the 53-man active roster.When asked about the drawback of naming Sanders the No. 2, he reiterated the concern about his long-term development."I trust in all of our players, I trust in their ability and those type of things. I just always want to set our guys up for success. Bottom line," he said.Stefanski said the trade popped up Tuesday."Obviously AB makes those decisions," he said of general manager Andrew Berry. "I trust AB. We talk about every decision we make. They wanted Joe, they made the phone call. Obviously it gives Joe an opportunity to go play again, but I trust in our decisions."THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED.The post Kevin Stefanski not ready to say if Shedeur Sanders will be No. 2 QB, says Joe Flacco trade came as 'surprise' first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.