Cleveland

Browns

As Kay Cabot notes, the injury likely rules Sanders out for the team’s upcoming preseason game against the Eagles. Sanders suffered the injury early in Cleveland’s joint practice with the Eagles and spent the rest of the session watching from the sideline. Dillon Gabriel was able to practice through his hamstring injury, suggesting he could be ready to suit up versus Philly. Gabriel would get an extended look under center if Kenny Pickett remains sidelined with his hamstring injury and Sanders isn’t ready to return by Saturday.

Both quarterbacks are nursing hamstring issues. Neither was able to suit up for the Browns’ first preseason game against the Panthers. Gabriel recently returned to team drills, but Stefanski wasn’t willing to commit to him playing against Philly this weekend. The rookie from Oregon will likely draw the start if healthy. While the battle between the rookies may be the most interesting for Browns fans, all signs point toward one of the veterans starting in Week 1. As the only healthy veteran right now, Joe Flacco is on track to take the first snap of the regular season.

Despite this, he thinks the Browns may let Dillon Gabriel start Cleveland’s second preseason game on Saturday against the Eagles. Gabriel missed the first preseason game with a hamstring injury, but returned to 11-on-11s today. Meanwhile, Sanders is “the only one of the primary four yet to take any snaps with the No. 1 offense.” The priors have guided Cleveland so far and Gabriel remains above Sanders on the depth chart — but this looks to be a big week for Gabriel, who will have to assert himself as deserving of the No. 3 job.

Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot broke the news first, stating that the star defensive end was cited going 100 mph in a 60 mph zone just after 2 am Saturday morning after the team returned from Charlotte. Cabot also noted that Garrett had “vowed to slow down” after flipping his Porsche and that the team was aware of his citation. This is unlikely to draw any league discipline but demonstrates an alarming pattern of reckless driving out of Garrett.

We take these depth charts with a grain of salt, but for anybody who thought the team would reward Sanders for his preseason performance with a higher spot on the depth chart, that would appear not to be the case. Sanders was solid in his first taste of pro football, throwing for 138 yards and two scores in nearly three full quarters of play. For now, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel all remain ahead of Sanders on the depth chart. He should see plenty of action in the Browns’ next preseason game, which will come on Saturday against the Eagles.

Kenny Pickett, the only serious contender to Flacco, has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has kept him as a 7-on-7 participant for most of the last week. Whoever wins this job will be one of the lowest-regarded fantasy options in the league, but Flacco’s success in Kevin Stefanski’s offense in 2023 at least throws some optimistic scenarios on the table for Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku.

This comes just days after Shedeur Sanders impressed in his preseason debut against the Panthers. While keeping four quarterbacks would be unconventional, the Browns’ quarterback room is anything but stable. Joe Flacco is preparing for what may be his final season. Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett is injured and has proven unreliable as a starter, while Sanders, along with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who is also dealing with an injury, has a lot to prove. Sanders’ performance on Friday could earn him increased reps with the first or second-string offense if Pickett and Gabriel are unable to practice this week, which could also lead to him seeing a significant amount of snaps in Saturday’s preseason game against the Eagles.

Sampson got the start, taking 8-of-9 backfield snaps to begin the game while forcing one missed tackle along the way. Sampson remains a reasonable late-round dart throw, penciled in as the Browns’ No. 2 running back.

Sanders had his ups and downs but looked good completing passes over the middle. He also lost six yards via two sacks. All in all, this was a promising performance for the Browns’ No. 4 quarterback. It should be unsurprising for us to see him challenge Dillon Gabriel for the No. 3 role next week.