Shedeur Sanders has been the talk of the town for quite a few months now. Between his dramatic slide in the 2025 NFL Draft, his speeding infractions, and his promising performance in the preseason opener, finding a day where Sanders isn’t in the headlines isn’t very easy.
Sanders recently suffered an injury in the Browns’ joint practice against the defending champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. This injury came at a tough time as the rookie quarterback aimed to build on last week’s strong showing and potentially use these reps to climb the depth chart.
What Happened to Shedeur Sanders?
Sanders threw in the joint practice on Wednesday against the Eagles before feeling some discomfort in his oblique.
The injury isn’t major, but it is enough to hold Sanders out of action for a few days and take him out of contention to play in their second preseason game. He won’t play against the Eagles, but he has his eyes set on returning to practice next week in hopes of appearing in their final preseason contest.
The Browns are being cautious with Sanders’ injury management. They are keeping him out of action and making sure he’s fully healthy before reinserting him back into action.
“When it’s a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw. So, unfortunately, gonna put him down for a little bit here. We’ll treat it day to day,” said Browns HC Kevin Stefanski.
#Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on Shedeur Sanders’ oblique injury, QB outlook: pic.twitter.com/qhlO6acOcF
— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) August 14, 2025
The Browns have plenty of options at QB, though, as Sanders currently sits at QB4 on the depth chart. With Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel missing action during the preseason, the former Colorado star had a chance to make a statement, but he won’t have that opportunity any longer as he awaits his return from his injury.
Sanders made the most of his opportunity last week, though, with Gabriel and Pickett both out. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns with four carries for 19 yards.
While his completion percentage could be improved, he certainly left a good impression on the Browns’ front office. Sanders will wish he gets healthy for another opportunity to prove it wasn’t a fluke in their next preseason game.
Other QB Options for Cleveland
The Browns opened the offseason with four QBs vying for roster spots. With no clear starting QB, veteran Joe Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders were all competing for the starting job. Sanders never saw first-team reps in practice, and Flacco seems well on his way to securing the starting job.
The Browns threw another wrinkle into the competition as they recently signed QB Tyler Huntley, with Sanders injured and Pickett and Gabriel working their way back. As of now, Gabriel is expected to start for the Browns against the Eagles.
With five quarterbacks vying for reps, it’s safe to say all of them will not be on the final Browns roster entering 2025. The only player of the five locked into the roster at this moment is Flacco. If healthy, he’ll be the guy under center for Cleveland against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
