Why Shedeur Sanders won't be allowed to play in Week 1 vs. Bengals unless this emergency situation happens

Sanders will be suited up, but the Browns will only be allowed to use him if this one situation comes up

Shedeur Sanders will be suiting up for the first game of his NFL career on Sunday, but there's a good chance that you won't see him take the field at all. 

The Cleveland Browns have listed Sanders as their emergency third quarterback for their regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, which means there are very strict rules in place about when he play. 

The only way Sanders will be allowed to play this week is if the Browns' top two quarterbacks both suffer an injury against the Bengals. Joe Flacco is set to start against Cincinnati and rookie Dillon Gabriel will serve as his backup. If the game gets out of hand and turns into a blowout, there's a chance that Gabriel could get some reps in the fourth quarter, but that wouldn't be the case for Sanders. 

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Bryan DeArdo

The NFL implemented a new rule regarding the emergency third quarterback in 2023 and here's brief look at how that pertains to Sanders: 

• The emergency third quarterback must come from the 53-man roster. Sanders, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, made the final roster when the Browns' decided to keep three quarterbacks. Sanders was the fourth QB on the roster when training camp started, but the Browns traded Kenny Pickett to the Raiders in late August. 
• The other situation where an emergency QB can play. We mentioned that the emergency QB can play if the top two quarterbacks get injured, but the third QB can also play if there's a disqualification. If Flacco got injured and Gabriel got thrown out of the game for some reason, Sanders would be eligible to play. Sanders could also play if the two quarterbacks were both being checked out for injury (They wouldn't necessarily have to be knocked out of the game). 
• Equipment issue won't help Sanders get on the field. If one of the top two quarterbacks has an equipment issue, the emergency QB is NOT allowed to go in the game. So if Flacco and Gabriel both were dealing with a broken helmet, Sanders would NOT be allowed to play. The Browns would have to use another player on the active roster in this situation. 
• Trick plays are harder to run with the emergency QB. When the emergency QB is in the game, he HAS to take the snap, "The emergency third quarterback is not allowed into the game for trick plays or the Wildcat formation. When in the game, no other player can take the snap besides the emergency quarterback." So if Sanders is in, the Browns could run a flea flicker, but they couldn't run a play where another player takes the snap. 

You can read more about the emergency third quarterback rule here. 

If you see Sanders on the field against the Bengals, that means it will truly be an emergency situation for the Browns. The Battle of Ohio between Cleveland and Cincinnati will be kicking off at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.