PHILADELPHIA — The hype surrounding the Cleveland Browns’ joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles waned when Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury and didn’t participate in any team drills. Add in the hamstring injury that limited Kenny Pickett and the four-house race went down to two.
The battle was between 40-year-old Joe Flacco and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was coming off a hamstring injury of his own. The clear leader in the clubhouse for the starting quarterback job is Flacco, who took all the first-team reps in the 11-on-11 portion of joint practice with the Eagles.
Flacco is on track to start Week 1 of the regular season, but what about Gabriel? Where does he fit into this quarterback connedrum?
Gabriel is set to start in the Browns’ preseason game against the Eagles on Saturday, capping off a long week between the two teams. The starters won’t be playing in this game (they played throughout the joint practices), so Gabriel is getting the majority of the snaps with the second-team offense.
The preseason game will be an indicator of Gabriel’s development, giving him live game reps. The joint practices, however, were a better sign of where Gabriel stands in the quarterback competition.
How Gabriel fared on Day 2
Thursday’s practice against the Eagles’ first-team defense was a mixed bag for Gabriel. There were more negatives than positives in the one hour and 15 minute session, as Gabriel didn’t look comfortable throwing to his receivers early on in the session. There was a throw where Gabriel tossed in the middle of the field with no receiver in the vicinity, as the pass was so poor no Eagles defenders were around to intercept it either (Jerry Jeudy was believed to be the intended receiver).
In the final 11-on-11 session, Gabriel showed the potential that made him a third-round pick. Gabriel stood in the pocket and fired a pass over the middle of the field to Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr., a perfect throw over Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba for the touchdown. Of the throws from the Browns quarterbacks in the joint session, that may have been the best one.
Gabriel should have had another touchdown pass to end the practice, as he fired a strike to wide receiver Diontae Johnson — who ran an excellent in-and-out route. Johnson bobbled the ball twice, before the pass landed in the hands of Mukuba — who he beat on the play that should have been a score.
The final tally was a touchdown and an interception, but Gabriel should have thrown two touchdown passes. The accuracy isn’t there yet with Gabriel, and his stature (listed at 5-11) is evident when he’s in the pocket.
“Every single day is critical, and you have to approach it every single day like that because that’s all you got,” Gabriel said. “And you’re only as good as your last outing. So yes, every day, everything’s critical, everything’s important and it’s got to be that way when you’re playing against high level team every single week.”
Where Gabriel stands in the pecking order
Judging by these last two practices, Flacco is the clear QB1 and is set to start in Week 1 for the Browns. Pickett wasn’t in team drills as he’s recovering from his hamstring injury (took part in individual period), but he’s believed to be ahead of Gabriel in the competition.
Shedeur Sanders is also ahead of Gabriel, as he was set to split first-team reps with Flacco prior to suffering his oblique injury in individual drills on Wednesday. Gabriel, a third-round pick, is likely QB4 on the depth chart — and the Browns are expected to keep four quarterbacks.
Saturday’s preseason game is a major opportunity for Gabriel to show he can play live reps and raise his stock. He’s expected to start and Tyler Huntley will back him up.
“(He) continues to keep the focus on one day at a time and taking what comes to him,” said Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. “Obviously anytime you miss reps due to injury, you got to make sure you’re staying as sharp as you can. And I think he’s done a nice job of that in meetings.”
What about Shedeur Sanders?
Sanders is unlikely to play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Eagles, as the Browns are going to be cautious regarding the rookie fifth-round pick. He suffered the oblique injury on Wednesday in individual drills and is considered day-to-day, per Kevin Stefanski.
“Felt it early, I think, warming up and then felt it throughout individuals, so took a look at it,” Stefanski said. “You know, if it’s a right guard, you can play through that. When it’s a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw. So unfortunately, going to put him down for a little bit here.
“We’ll treat it day to day and see how he responds. But want to be smart because he’s a thrower, so you can’t push that thing.”
This week was supposed to be a big one for Sanders after his impressive preseason debut. Sanders was set to split the first-team reps with Flacco, a true test against an elite defense like Philadelphia. Instead, Sanders was on the sidelines with Pickett watching Flacco get all the first-team reps.
“Injuries stink for all these guys. They don’t want to miss a rep for any reason,” Stefanski said. “But there’s a way to continue to prepare, continue to get better, even when you’re not getting those reps because of injuries.”
Where Sanders falls on the depth chart when he returns is to be determined, but his injury sets Flacco up a steh clear favorite to start Week 1. Sanders will have to make a push to start next week if he has a smooth recovery, assuming he’ll be back next week.
The good news? Sanders was in full pads and warmed up with the team. He just didn’t take part in any throwing drills or team sessions, as oblique injuries are a little tricky.
“I think it’s just with throwers and pitchers and guys that torque and twist their body,” Stefanski said. “You got to be really careful.”