The Browns' quarterback competition moved to Philadelphia for a joint practice on Wednesday and Thursday, along with a preseason game on Saturday. Joe Flacco remains the expected starter, but Shedeur Sanders seemed to have made progress after a solid preseason debut. Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett both suffered hamstring injuries, which has Pickett out of 11-on-11 team periods.
Flacco seems almost locked in to be the Week 1 starter after Pickett's hamstring kept him out of the competition for most of camp. Following Sanders' strong preseason game, it felt like he and Gabriel were in a battle for the next man up after Flacco, whenever the team presumably moves off the veteran in the season. Unfortunately, Sanders suffered a setback in the competition, as he hurt his oblique on Wednesday and didn't take any team reps against the Eagles.
Shedeur Sanders gets no team reps on Wednesday after suffering oblique injury
During practice, local media were confused as they continued to report that Sanders was not getting any reps during the team period. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported Sanders hurt his oblique at the beginning of practice, which is why he was in uniform and not taking any team reps.
7-on-7s were handled by Picket, Gabriel, and Tyler Huntley. Flacco and Gabriel saw the most action in 11-on-11s, with Huntley getting a few reps with the second team. It makes sense to get Pickett a sizable serving of reps during 7-on-7s if he can, as he was clear about his intent to improve from the pocket while his hamstring heals. 7-on-7 is a perfect setting to do so, and it allows Pickett to get work without putting his hamstring at risk.
Flacco isn't expected to play in the second preseason game, and they used the first day of joint practices to get the starters as many live scenarios against another team as they could. If Sanders is able to go on Saturday, Gabriel would likely get the start with Sanders getting most of the other drives.
It will be interesting to see how the week unfolds and who suits up for Cleveland against Philadelphia. Pickett doesn't seem to be ready, and Gabriel and Sanders are both uncertain now. The coming days will provide some answers as to which signal caller is healthy enough to suit up.