Through unforeseen circumstances, Shedeur Sanders, who has been QB4 all training camp, will get the start at QB in the first preseason game after injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
CHARLOTTE, NC
Get your popcorn ready.
The Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders the starting quarterback assignment in their first preseason game Friday against the Carolina Panthers.
That is, unless there is yet another unforeseen twist in this 2025 quarterback odyssey.
In the last 10 days:
* Kenny Pickett, subject of the narrative that he’s GM Andrew Berry’s preferred starter, suffered a strained hamstring running one of his frequent keepers at practice. Pickett returned to limited action but is still not right.
* Sanders missed a valuable day of practice with arm soreness, but returned for one of his best practice days.
* Dillon Gabriel suffered a “tweaked” hamstring and is now considered “limited.”
* Former Browns camp arm Tyler Huntley was signed as a de facto emergency quarterback.
All the while, Joe Flacco, a true warhorse who’s missed 21 games because of injury in 17 NFL seasons, has widened his lead as the presumptive starter by stacking good practices in the last week.
So much so that Flacco could be put on ice in the preseason games, which is why Huntley was added and Sanders was given the nod to start Game 1 on Friday.
But first, Sanders must get through Wednesday’s joint practice with the Panthers unscathed.
On Monday, Sanders said, “I think every rep I get in general is valuable. You know, we definitely [are] taking things up a notch, I would say, with everything. So, every rep, you know, anytime I step on the field, I take it like it could be my last. Because you don’t know. There’s players that we was just practicing with last week that’s not here no more. So, like I said, it’s more about a bond. It’s more about going all out. It’s more about, you know, how you’ll be remembered.”
This joint seassion will be interesting for a variety of reasons.
Sanders is the only Browns QB to not receive reps with the first-team offense. Now that Sanders is starting on Friday, which a team source confirmed, he should leapfrog Pickett and Gabriel and at least work with the second team while Flacco works with the first team.
The Browns also have to assimilate Huntley into the practice mix because he very well could be pressed into action on Friday.
Huntley saw preseason action with the Browns last summer and was released after Berry failed to drum up trade interest. Huntley joined the practice squad of the Ravens, his original team, and then was signed by the Dolphins. Huntley ended up making five starts for the Dolphins, including a 22-of-26 passing day in a 20-3 win in Cleveland on December 29.
Flacco is expected to receive the brunt of first-team reps even though he probably won’t play on Friday because the starters generally get in their hard work on the practice field in these joint sessions.
Stefanski agreed the joint practices are more beneficial to the starters and the preseason games, at least the early ones, are more beneficial to the younger players.
“The [joint practices] are great because they’re opportunities in a controlled environment for your players,” Stefanski said. “Now there are some teams that don’t play their starters at all in the preseason and that’s what they think is best for their team. In that given moment, and think about, you know, quarterbacks that play in the preseason, you’re obviously not wearing a red jersey, so you’re free game in those situations, whereas you’re not in practice and/or in a joint practice with another team. So those are all things that we weigh as coaches, trying to figure out what our team needs for a given season, for a given week.”
This is the first time Stefanski has scheduled a joint practice in the first preseason week. It’s still relatively early in the camp season, so that’s why there is only one practice. Next week, the Browns will practice two days in Philadelphia prior to Game 2 against the Eagles.
Why did Stefanski add an additional joint practice this year?
“Just looking at our process, what we can do better?” he said. “What [are] other teams are doing? Is there an opportunity to do something [different]?
“My relationship with Coach [Dave] Canales, you know, our relationship among the staff. [We] like the scheme that they run on both sides of the ball … will be good for our team. So there’s a lot of positives to going down there.”
Stefanski and Canales plot the practice agenda jointly. Stefanski said there will be special teams periods, 7-on-7s, and 11-on-11 periods. There will not be a 2-minute period; there will be in Philadelphia. A highlight of these joint sessions often is the 1-on-1 period. Stefanski was unsure on Monday if that was on the docket.
One more thing about the joint session. The Panthers practice outdoors next to their Bank of America Stadium. They do not have a bubble or indoor facility if weather turns inclement. There is a 90% chance of rain in the forecast for Wednesday.
Canales said he has advised Stefanski to expect a wet practice.
“He texted me this morning,” Canales said on Tuesday. “He said, 'It looks like rain for the next 37 days.' But it'll be good. The energy will be good. They won't even be thinking about the water, I promise you. It'll be about this opportunity to go against other pros.”