Shedeur Sanders’ absence from team drills at Browns–Eagles joint practice sparked speculation Wednesday after he was spotted throwing early before being sidelined with an injury.
Sanders finished with zero reps at a joint practice between the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday ahead of their Week 2 NFL Preseason matchup. Initially, ESPN Cleveland reported the breakdown and tweeted that there was “no word” on why Sanders received no team reps.
Browns and Eagles joint practice 1 is in the books. Here’s how all 5 QBs performed in team drills.
No word on why Shedeur Sanders got no team reps today. pic.twitter.com/lPwCsEiUHE
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 13, 2025
Just a few minutes later, Adam Schefter reported that Sanders suffered an oblique injury while throwing early in practice and was held out for the remainder of the session. This isn’t the first time that Sanders has been forced to sit on the sidelines during practice with an injury being cited as the reason he received zero reps.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury while throwing during the early portion of practice today, and was held out for the rest of the session.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2025
On August 2, Sanders was held out of the throwing portion of practice due to “arm soreness” despite telling ESPN Cleveland reporter Tony Grossi that “he’s good”. He returned to practice and threw the next day, causing speculation that his absence may not have been injury related.
Day 9 Browns training camp recap from @TonyGrossi breaking down:
– No team reps for Shedeur with “arm soreness”
– Shedeur tells Grossi “he’s good”
– Kenny Pickett speaksPresented by Maloney & Novotny https://t.co/PlNf944lz3 pic.twitter.com/ERAgEKfr1b
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 2, 2025
A similar thing happened on Wednesday with Shedeur giving the thumbs up to another Browns reporter, indicating that he might be in line to play in Saturday’s game.
Dillon Gabriel Will Start Week 2 vs Eagles; Will Shedeur Play?
According to head coach Kevin Stefanski, Dillon Gabriel will get the start in Week 2 against the Eagles. Kenny Pickett is unlikely to play, as he’s still dealing with a hamstring injury that limited him to only 7-on-7 drills on Wednesday. Sanders could still suit up this weekend, if he’s able to participate in practice tomorrow, but that would certainly raise some questions about the validity of his oblique injury.
For quarterbacks, the recovery window for oblique injuries often skews longer than for some other positions because twisting, torque, and core stability are critical for throwing power and accuracy. Rushing back from this type of injury can also cause long-term effects and risks setbacks during the recovery process.
Oblique injuries typically take 1-2 weeks of recovery for quarterbacks even if they are minor and can take up to six weeks of recovery time for a more severe strain or tear.
Stefanski even mentioned that Sanders could start for the second straight week if Gabriel isn’t fully recovered from his hamstring injury, which makes his lack of participation in practice even more puzzling.
Gabriel Struggles In Joint Practice As Browns’ Offense Stumbles
Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel earned most of the reps at the joint practice versus the Eagles.
Flacco finished 6-of-13 while Gabriel left plenty of room for improvement, finishing 6-of-19 (31.5%) with two touchdowns.
Kenny Pickett (5-of-6) and Tyler Huntley (3-of-4) also took limited reps in team drills.
