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By Trevor Squire
Contributing Sports Writer
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Shedeur Sanders' path to playing time just became clearer after the Cleveland Browns made major news on Tuesday.
With the cross-state rival Cincinnati Bengals reeling with Joe Burrow out and backup Jake Browning struggling, the Browns traded Flacco to the Bengals.
Read more: Bengals Land Joe Flacco in Blockbuster Trade With Browns
Read More on NFL
The Browns, currently 1-4, are reshuffling their quarterback room, and Sanders has become central to the quarterback situation in Cleveland after months of pundits questioning why the team's third quarterback on the depth chart was getting so much publicity.
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Sanders is now poised to back up fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was selected before Sanders in the third round.
Gabriel fared well in his first career start on Sunday despite a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He completed 19 of 33 pass attempts for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
There was some scrutiny over head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense having limited upside with Gabriel, whose intended air yards per play were the third-lowest in Week 5 at just 5.8 yards per pass, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Gabriel's performance doesn't warrant a benching at this stage, but if Cleveland is serious about sorting out its quarterback situation for the future, Sanders should get some tread at some point this season.
Read more: Deion Sanders Sends Clear Message on What Browns Did to Shedeur
However, there is the possibility of Deshaun Watson entering the fold. Watson served a mandatory four-game absence while on the injured reserve list and is eligible to return to practice. Whether the former Pro Bowl quarterback can ascend to his former glory remains to be seen.
Calls to see Sanders play will surely ring if Cleveland cannot turn its season around.
For more on the Browns and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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