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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders injured his oblique during warmups before a joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said.
Stefanski revealed that Sanders began feeling discomfort before the session and was held out of all drills as a precaution. The rookie is considered day-to-day, will not practice, and is unlikely to play in Cleveland’s preseason game in Philadelphia.
The injury comes less than a week after Sanders impressed in his preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers. Starting in place of injured quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, Sanders played 45 snaps and completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. His performance drew national attention, including a Nike social media post highlighting one of his scoring throws.
Sanders was expected to receive more opportunities to build on that performance. Before practice, Stefanski said Sanders would start against the Eagles if Pickett and Gabriel were not ready. Pickett remains limited to 7-on-7 drills as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Gabriel, who missed the preseason opener with hamstring tightness, returned to full participation.
Shedeur Sanders's oblique injury was a setback for the Browns' rookie
With Sanders unavailable, Joe Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, and Tyler Huntley split quarterback reps in practice. Flacco, entering his 18th NFL season, continues to receive most first-team work but was never scheduled to play in the first two preseason games.
The Browns have two preseason games left to sort out their depth chart. Sanders had been fourth in the quarterback order for most of training camp. But his strong opener had sparked speculation he could climb higher. Missing one of the final preseason games limits his chances to secure a more prominent role before the regular season begins.
Oblique injuries can linger. There is no guarantee Sanders will be ready for the preseason finale. For a rookie already working with limited practice reps, losing valuable game snaps could make it harder to earn early-season playing time.
Stefanski and the Browns face decisions. Both on the pecking order and roster size at quarterback. Four players vying for spots and time is running short before Week 1.
