By ALEX RASKIN, US SPORT NEWS EDITOR and WIRES
Published: 11:46 EDT, 16 August 2025 | Updated: 11:48 EDT, 16 August 2025
Shedeur Sanders is unlikely to play in the Cleveland Browns' second preseason game due to an oblique injury, as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel will get the starting nod amid the team's wide-open quarterback race.
'Felt it early, I think, warming up and then felt it throughout individuals, so took a look at it,' head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters this week ahead of Saturday's game with the defending-champion Eagles in Philadelphia.
'When it's a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw. So unfortunately, going to put him down for a little bit here. We'll treat it day to day and see how he responds. But want to be smart because he's a thrower, so you can't push that thing.'
Sanders sustained the injury during drills ahead of practice Wednesday. The Browns said Sanders is day to day.
'If you're a right guard, you can kind of play though that,' Stefanski said. 'When it's a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw.'
Stefanski said backup Joe Flacco won't play against the Eagles. Tyler 'Snoop' Huntley and Gabriel could get the bulk of playing time. Kenny Pickett is limited with a hamstring injury.
Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards with two first-half touchdown passes to Kaden Davis in his NFL preseason debut in a win over Carolina on Friday night
Dillon Gabriel will get the starting nod amid the team's wide-open quarterback race
Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards with two first-half touchdown passes to Kaden Davis in his NFL preseason debut in a win over Carolina on Friday night.
The Browns took Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL draft. He wasn´t selected until the 144th overall pick, a stunning fall for one of the most recognizable players in the draft class.
Sanders finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting last season for Colorado and threw for a school-record 4,134 yards last season.
'Injuries stink for all these guys,' Stefanski said. 'They don't want to miss a rep for any reason. There's a way to continue to prepare to continue to get better even when you're not getting those reps because of injury.'
Gabriel was selected 94th overall in the 2025 draft after putting up big numbers at three college stops: UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. Still on the board 50 picks later, the Browns chose Sanders to end a well-publicized draft weekend crash from projections of a top-50 draft rating.
'I try to just stay in the moment. I'll look forward to that moment once it comes and be right where my feet are,' Gabriel said this week. 'The best competitors know how to stay present and be themselves by competing at a high level one play at a time.'
Cleveland Browns