Shedeur Sanders hurt, Dillon Gabriel to start vs. Eagles if healthy

Cleveland plans to start another rookie quarterback when the Browns visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
If third-round pick Dillon Gabriel’s hamstring holds up through joint practices with the Eagles this week, he’ll take his turn as Cleveland’s QB1 following a strong debut from fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders last week.
“The plan was always to give both of those guys starts in the preseason, so we’ll see how it shakes out,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday, adding Gabriel had to clear hurdles with a sore hamstring the next two days if he wants to take the field first this weekend.
Stefanski made the comments before the team practiced on Wednesday, and prior to what could be an obstacle to Sanders building on his first outing and claiming a significant role.
Sanders halted participation in throwing drills and appeared to be injured in Wednesday’s joint practice with the Eagles, further complicating matters for Stefanski.
Kenny Pickett, acquired from the Eagles in an offseason trade, is not available for 11-on-11 work because of a hamstring injury.
There’s only one quarterback on the roster who hasn’t been sent to the training tent this summer.
Cleveland hasn’t committed to playing Joe Flacco, the purported No. 1 QB on the depth chart, in preseason games to preserve the 40-year-old’s health.
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.
Gabriel said he won’t put too much in the opportunity if he starts against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
“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. “The best competitors know how to stay present and be themselves by competing at a high level one play at a time.”
Sanders received high marks from Stefanski after the Browns’ coaching staff reviewed the film of his two-TD showing in last Friday’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
“Certainly, for a quarterback, that next step is getting in the game settings and taking the practice field to the game. And I thought that’s what we saw by and large from Shedeur (Sanders),” Stefanski said. “That’s what we saw by and large from our offense was really taking those things that we’re homing in on, on the practice field and then showing them in the games, and it goes back to the previous point where we want to vary our offense.”