Sportsnaut
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders had an impressive preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers last Friday, completing 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. But he won’t be able to follow up on that performance in Saturday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles after straining his oblique during practice earlier this week.
Sanders got the start because Kenny Pickett and rookie Dillon Gabriel were hurt while presumed starter Joe Flacco remained on the sidelines.
The rookie has been a lightning rod of attention after the Browns surprisingly moved up to select him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft after taking Gabriel two rounds earlier.
It’s been a roller-coaster for Sanders at Browns training camp. While he stirred excitement against the Panthers, he’s still listed as the No. 4 quarterback on the depth chart and received two speeding tickets just 12 days apart.
The biggest question now is whether Sanders will see regular-season action for the Browns this season. In an interview with Sportsnaut’s Scott Gulbransen, Outkick senior NFL writer Armando Salguero doesn’t see that happening.
“It would take some weird circumstances — like Joe Flacco playing like himself — for the Browns to want to go somewhere else. And even if they do wanna go somewhere else, I’m not sure that the next option is Shedeur Sanders because Kenny Pickett has played in the NFL, and they did in fact draft Dillon Gabriel ahead of him,” noted Salguero.
He added: “So it’s a weird situation with that club, but you know what? Browns fans have been used to that for years. I mean, you go back two decades and they’re still waiting for that right quarterback to show up, and he hasn’t. We’ve been through guys named [Brandon] Weeden and [Johnny] Manziel and any number of guys and [Deshaun] Watson, and still nothing.”
Oblique injuries typically take anywhere from one to three weeks to heal. When Sanders returns, he will still need to battle the three quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart for playing time.
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