The Cleveland Browns are due for another quarterback shake-up regarding the primary backup spot after trading Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals 

In a stunning move on Tuesday, the Cleveland Browns shook up their quarterback room some more by trading veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, along with a sixth round pick to get a fifth round pick in return. 

It's an interesting move on a number of fronts, first because its the first trade ever completed between the two division rivals, but more importantly because it means head coach Kevin Stefanski will have to name a new backup quarterback to rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was just promoted to the team's starter over Flacco last week. 

And here's the thing, the decision is not as straight forward as it may seem. 

With Flacco shipped south down I-71, Gabriel and fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders are the only active quarterbacks on the Browns roster. The natural assumption would be that Sanders would inherit the backup QB responsibilities, after spending the first five weeks of the season as the Browns emergency quarterback on game days. 

Naming Sanders as the No. 2 QB would also signal a full-on pivot from the franchise to figuring out what they have in their two rookies. In many ways, trading Flacco may signal that already. Still, there's no guarantee that Sanders simply slides into the primary backup job. 

Veteran QB Bailey Zappe is currently a member of Cleveland's 16-man practice squad and could easily be elevated to the active roster. That move is certainly in play, and could end with the Western Kentucky product bypassing Sanders on the depth chart. 

There's also another potential option, one that many fans likely won't want to hear. 

Veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson began the season on the physically unable to perform list as he continued working his way back from a ruptured Achilles injury suffered in Week 7 of last season. He re-tore the ailment while rehabbing later on in the season and had to have the procedure done a second time. 

By opening the 2025 campaign on the PUP list, Watson had to sit out at least four games. Obviously, that window has now passed, meaning the Browns could activate Watson to return to practice at any time.

If they do, it also opens up a 21-day window for the embattled QB to be added to the 53-man roster. If they don't activate him during that span he would have to revert back to the PUP list permanently for the remainder of the season. After sitting out the first four games, Watson has five additional weeks to start practicing or he'll also remain on the PUP list for the rest of 2025. 

In the aftermath of the Flacco trade, Cleveland released its unofficial depth chart for Week 6 which lists Sanders as the primary backup. Again, though, he is the only other active QB on the roster at this juncture. The Browns have until Saturday afternoon to make any subsequent roster moves. 

An official declaration on who will backup Gabriel is likely to come from Stefanski on Wednesday when he holds his annual mid-week presser. His decision isn't as clear-cut as it may seem.