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Shedeur Sanders is making a bid to begin the season as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, but we'll have to see if Wednesday didn't throw a crimp in those plans.
Sanders, who started the Browns' preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers last Friday, was conspicuously absent from team drills during today's practice session. As it turns out, there was a good reason for that.
The Browns told reporters after the session that Sanders suffered an oblique injury during the workout, which led to him being held out of team reps in today's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles.
We'll have to see if this injury winds up affecting Sanders' status for Saturday's preseason game against the defending Super Bowl champions. It's possible the rookie quarterback only mildly tweaked his oblique, but oblique injuries can be tricky.
"#Browns QB Shedeur Sanders injured his oblique in practice today, early on, and will be evaluated. That may take him out of the next preseason game - the latest in a string of Cleveland nagging QB injuries," tweeted NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Browns' quarterback injury problems continue
Despite having five quarterbacks participating in training camp, the Browns' depth at football's most important position has already been heavily tested. Offseason acquisition Kenny Pickett and 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel have missed time with injuries, and now Sanders is also banged up.
Veteran Joe Flacco is listed as the starter on the Browns' latest unofficial depth chart, with Pickett and Gabriel second and third string and Sanders fourth. Tyler Huntley, who was added to the mix last week, is fifth.
Sanders was expected to start against Philadelphia, but that was before he was injured Wednesday.
An impressive debut for the fifth-round rookie
Sanders, who fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, turned in a very solid performance in Friday's 30-10 win over Carolina.
The former University of Colorado star completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, looking comfortable throughout the evening.
"I'm pleased with the way Shedeur played, I'm pleased with the way the offense operated [Friday]," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "All things moving forward as we continue to practice will be focused on all of our guys' development and getting these guys ready to ready to play for the season."
Shedeur Sanders Suffers Injury During Wednesday's Training Camp Practice first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 13, 2025
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