All eyes were on what was going to happen at the Cleveland Browns' first practice ahead of their Week 12 showdown against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot shared the injury report for Cleveland, which lists three players who won't practice: tight end David Njoku, defensive end Alex Wright, and quarterback Dillon Gabriel. That update alone is enough to put two and two together that Shedeur Sanders will officially be the starting quarterback for the game.
Gabriel got knocked out of the 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion, with Sanders replacing him. Njoku is dealing with a knee injury and is considered day-to-day. Wright has a quad injury that kept him from playing in the Ravens game.
#Browns who won’t practice today, which further confirms that Shedeur Sanders will start vs the #Raiders: pic.twitter.com/WvfTJ8IA6A
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) November 19, 2025
The biggest story from this report is Gabriel not practicing with him still being in concussion protocol, opening the door for Sanders' first career NFL start. Sanders struggled in relief for Gabriel, completing just four of 16 passes, throwing an interception, and being sacked twice in the loss.
This time around, Sanders will have practice time with the first-team starters to start building rapport with the receivers and tight ends. It will also help him work with the offensive line on cadences he is comfortable with to avoid pre-snap penalties.
Njoku has had a quiet last few games with Harold Fannin Jr. emerging as the top target in the Browns' offense, but outside of Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland's passing game has gone through the tight ends, so getting Njoku back would be big. He has 30 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Wright is a key figure in the rotation on the Browns' defensive line, having started four games this season with three sacks and three quarterback hits. His return would be more for helping the Browns with depth issues at the defensive line, but when Myles Garrett gets four sacks in a game, it does make life easier for the Browns.
Browns fans will have to continue to monitor Njoku and Wright's statuses in practice the rest of the week to see if they will be good to go at any point to play. As for Gabriel's injury, it's more about giving him the time he needs to be 100% healthy and ready to go when he returns to the field.
For the time being, Sanders is getting the keys to the offense and has a chance to run away with the job if he can show the Browns what he's capable of.