PHILADELPHIA — A huge crowd of reporters rushed to the second practice field at the NovaCare Complex to see Shedeur Sanders go up against the No. 1 defense in the NFL from last year. Seven-on-7 reps were about to begin, with building anticipation of Sanders taking snaps against the best of the best.
The first rep took place, and Joe Flacco was with the first team. No Sanders, no problem. The crowd of reporters figured the 40-year old veteran would get the first look. Then came Dillon Gabriel with the second team.
The hyped-Browns rookie was nowhere to be seen with any of the quarterbacks. Flacco and Pickett were with the 1s, Gabriel with the 2s and Tyler Huntley with the 3s. Where was Sanders?
Sanders was seen warming up prior to practice, throwing balls against the goalpost on the third practice field. Working on his footwork, timing and accuracy, the rookie quarterback was preparing for a big day. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated just 15 minutes prior to this warmup session Sanders would start Saturday’s preseason game against the Eagles — if Gabriel was unable to due to injury — so plenty of reps should have been coming Sanders’ way during the scorching hot and extremely humid joint practice.
The red flags were up. Something happened between that individual period and the 7-on-7 session. Sanders wasn’t seen anywhere on the crowded NovaCare Complex practice fields to the naked eye. He certainly wasn’t partaking in any team drills.
Then came the news towards the end of the practice. The Browns announced Sanders suffered an oblique injury during individual drills and was held out of practice as a precautionary measure.
There went the Sanders hype, along with his chances to further raise his stock in the ever-evolving quarterback competition in Cleveland. Pickett and Gabriel returned after battling hamstring injuries last week, which gave Sanders the opportunity to start the preseason opener last week.
Sanders lit it up against the Panthers, going 14 of 23 for 138 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He made NFL-caliber throws and showcased that perhaps his draft fall was over-reactionary. Playing against the Eagles defense would be a true test for Sanders, a golden opportunity to show his preseason flash wasn’t a fluke.
Instead, the hype never materialized. The balloon was deflated.
Shedeur Sanders turned heads in Browns debut, but likely QB pecking order remains unchanged in Cleveland
Matt Zenitz
The reaction
Sanders wasn’t seen throughout the practice as he sat out, but the rookie quarterback wanted to chat with one player after practice. That was Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, as the two congregated on the first practice field and had a long conversation.
Hurts even gave Sanders a lift back to the locker room on a gold cart after the chat.
“There’s a sense of obligation to be yourself, and that’s who I am to be honest and genuine and expressing how I go to where I am today,” Hurts said on being a role model for young quarterbacks. “It wasn’t an easy journey. It’s always gonna present some challenges, but continue to be who I am, continue to carry myself in a humble way, and always putting the work first.
“I’m aware of that. I know that’s still a torch that I hold. It’s something I respect and embrace and accept it for what it is. At the same time, I always put my focus on how I can be the best I can be and hopefully my actions can speak louder than anything.”
Meanwhile, Sanders told Flacco about the injury that occurred during practice, but there’s nothing Flacco could say to keep his spirits up.
“It’s kinda tough,” Flacco said. “We all want to be out there and getting reps. That’s what training camp and football is all about, sometimes these things happen. Sometimes you deal with them. It is what it is.”
Flacco was then asked about Gabriel progressing through his hamstring injury. The honesty came out, along with a message to both Gabriel and Sanders.
“We’re in that room together and we’re doing things together. When we come out on this field, I’m not super worried about what Dillon is doing to get back from his hamstring.
“I’m focused on us getting better and us doing the best we can against Philly — and that includes him. … As far as him coming back and getting ready? Look, I know he’s itching to get back out there. When you’re young and you’re in a quarterback room that’s in a competition and you don’t get to be out there every day, that’s tough.
“My message to him is don’t press. Just go out there and be yourself. … Just go play your game. If there was a message for him, that would be it.”
The veteran quarterback had some words of wisdom for his younger counterparts. Gabriel seemed to press in his return, so let’s see if Sanders heeds Flacco’s advice whenever he returns to the field.
What does it mean?
The Browns quarterback competition just got a whole lot stranger. Flacco is still the leader in the clubhouse to be the starter come Week 1, but this is the latest in a long line of injuries in this position group.
Pickett is still nursing a hamstring injury and Gabriel just got back from his after both signal-callers missed practice last week. The Browns signed Huntley for quarterback depth with all the injuries in the room, but Huntley isn’t competing for the starting quarterback job.
Flacco led the first-team offense with 13 pass attempts while Pickett threw six. Gabriel had 19 attempts, but the majority were with the second team. If Gabriel is good to go for Saturday, he will start the preseason game — but joint practices are a better indicator of where things stand in the quarterback battle.
Right now, it’s Flacco and then Pickett. As for Sanders, we’ll have to wait and see.