On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns learned that rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was dealing with an oblique injury that could sideline him for Saturday’s game at the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, it appears Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski could keep Sanders out of action through Cleveland’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23.
“He felt it early, I think, warming up, and then felt it throughout [individual drills] and we took a look at it,” Stefanski told reporters on Thursday while speaking about what Sanders experienced on Wednesday, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “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, we’re going to put him down for a little bit here. We will treat it day to day and see how he responds.”
Stefanski said the Browns want “to be really careful” with the Sanders injury because quarterbacks “torque and twist their body” on pass plays.
Despite performing well in his preseason debut last Friday, Sanders, the 2025 fifth-round draft pick, remained fourth on Cleveland’s unofficial depth chart before his setback. Kenny Pickett is still attempting to recover from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Browns’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8, so veteran Joe Flacco is on track to start Cleveland’s Week 1 matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.
Meanwhile, 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel will start against the Eagles this Saturday if it’s determined his hamstring is healthy. Like Pickett, Gabriel spent the Carolina game as a spectator.
“Injuries stink for all these guys,” Stefanski added. “They don’t want to miss a rep for any reason. But, there’s a way to continue to prepare, continue to get better, even when you’re not getting those reps up because of injuries.”
Sanders seemed to have a shot at earning the QB2 gig after he completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland’s 30-10 victory over Carolina.
He could now enter September as Cleveland’s QB4 if Browns general manager Andrew Berry is serious about carrying four quarterbacks on the active roster for the Cincinnati game.
