Coming out of another disappointment, a 41-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, three questions dominated conversations. One: Are the Cleveland Browns headed toward another doomed season? Two: Has Kevin Stefanski already given up on starter Joe Flacco? While there’s ample time to dissect the first concern, Dillon Gabriel’s NFL debut with 4:43 remaining on September 14 highlighted a potential mistrust toward the QB1. This brings us to our third question: Will Flacco be benched in Week 3 vs the Green Bay Packers?

Well, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot just reiterated the answer in case you missed it the first time. On ‘The Ken Carman Show‘ aired September 17, host Anthony Kima asked, “How close is Dillon Gabriel to playing for this football team?” To this, the award-winning insider responded, “I think it depends on how Joe looks over the next couple of weeks. I don’t think they’re in any rush to get Dillon out there. I think they’re in a stretch right now of four out of five games on the road. They’re facing three really tough NFC North teams, playoff teams, and great defenses. So, they have a lot of things going on right now…”

“I think it behooves them to have a veteran presence in there. But certainly, he’s got to make sure that he’s protecting the football. That’s job number one. And if he can do that, then he’ll keep his job.” That’s surely concerning for Flacco, who turned the ball over twice during the Browns’ latest defeat—an interception that the Ravens turned into a touchdown, putting them 20-3 early in the third quarter, and a fourth quarter fumble that was returned for a 64-yard TD by linebacker Roquan Smith. But, thankfully, Flacco’s issues are currently way lower on the priority list, per Cabot.

“They will be ready to pivot and turn it over to Dillon when they feel the time is right,” she mentioned. “But there are so many other things [going on] right now with the offense that I don’t think they’re looking at it like this is a Joe thing. I mean, they had offensive line problems in that game. Quinshon Judkins, it was his first game back after only two practices. The receivers aren’t necessarily synced up with Joe yet. There are issues going on. He was always supposed to be supported with a robust running game, and he hasn’t had that yet…I mean, we really haven’t seen this offense come together yet.” Stefanski also agreed.

When asked if he was considering a QB change this past weekend, the head coach responded with a direct, “No,” adding, “I don’t think we did good enough. I think that collectively as a team, we as an offense, we as the coaching staff, all of us didn’t do a good enough job.” Stats show exactly how.

Over the past two weeks, the Browns’ offensive line has faltered more often than not. In Week 2, the Ravens’ defense went after Flacco all game and managed to put him under pressure multiple times. Out of those, most came from the Browns’ right side. Considering Flacco is right-handed, pressures from the right tackle and guard meant the QB found it difficult to plant his feet, step out, and often had to rush throws. Unfortunately, the running game has been equally desolate.

Consider this: In Cleveland Browns’ Week 1 16-17 loss to the Bengals, they ran the ball 24 times for 49 yards, the longest run being five yards by RB Dylan Sampson. What’s more, Stefanski’s team has had just one run over 10 yards in two weeks (a 31-yarder by rookie Judkins vs the Ravens), tying the Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers for the fewest this season.

Last but not least, the passing game has also been kind of a mixed bag. Sure, they piled up 278 and 208 yards through the air in the first two games, respectively. But sitting at 0-2, Cleveland’s passing attack isn’t stretching the field. Flacco has hit only one pass all season that traveled 20+ yards in the air. The deep ball isn’t working because the offensive line is struggling. And on intermediate throws (10–19 yards downfield), he’s completed 11 of 19 passes. That’s not strong enough to carry the offense, especially if you consider their next opponent.

The Packers have already collected 21 quarterback hits and eight sacks in their first two games with a defensive rush success rate of 61.8%, ranking eighth in the league. The team has also given up the second-fewest rushing yards in two games (97). While that’s already a cause for enough worry…

Here comes Shedeur Sanders’ trade talks

The dawn of Shedeur Sanders’ future in Cleveland hasn’t even arrived, but the whispers of trade are once again stirring. This time, it’s with the Bengals. Joe Burrow went down with a turf toe injury in Week 2 against the Jaguars. For now, he’s not expected to return for at least three months. In his absence, backup Jake Browning is currently the starting quarterback. The Bengals have also signed a couple of QBs to their practice squad. And that’s where Shedeur Sanders’ trade speculations come in.

Right after Burrow went down and got ruled out, an idea popped up: The Bengals could trade for Shedeur in exchange for a fourth and sixth-round pick. Yet, Rich Eisen believes there’s no need for a change.

“I don’t think the season’s over [for the Bengals]. I think Jake Browning is better than maybe a third of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL,” Eisen noted. “How does that sound? I think Jake Browning’s that good. I think Jake Browning is the best backup QB in the NFL.” Having said that, while the trade speculations are palpable, Kevin Stefanski is unlikely to trade the Colorado product. But then again, it’s the Browns’ quarterback room we’re talking about. Here, everything is possible, except for a stable quarterback room.