The Cleveland Browns have officially wrapped up training camp and will enter the final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams with one glaring question — who will be the backup quarterback behind Joe Flacco?
Head coach Kevin Stefanski delivered some good news to Browns fans on Tuesday, saying that barring a setback, highly-touted rookie Shedeur Sanders will see the field on Saturday, albeit behind third-round pick Dillon Gabriel.
The plan will be to play the starters, including the 40-year-old Flacco, between 20 and 25 snaps before allowing Gabriel and the second-string offense to take over. Sanders will be the third quarterback to see the field against the Rams while veteran Kenny Pickett will not play as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
When asked about his oblique injury, Sanders told reporters that “Everything’s good,” raising further questions about the nature of the injury.
Sanders Responds To Dillon Gabriel’s ‘Competitor vs. Entertainer’ Comments
During his first preseason start, fellow backup Dillon Gabriel made headlines by taking what many perceived as a shot at Sanders. “There’s entertainers and there’s competitor and I totally understand that,” Gabriel said. “And my job is to compete.”
“Do I feel like he did? I don’t know,” – Shedeur Sanders on if he thinks Dillon Gabriel was talking about him with the “competitors vs entertainers” comment.
Shedeur said Gabriel told him on the plane the comments weren’t about him.pic.twitter.com/ForXEWomZD
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 21, 2025
Sanders was questioned about the comments and how he took them during the final training camp media session on Thursday.
“It is what it is,” Sanders told reporters. “I spoke with him. He told me on the plane. He came up, he was like, ‘Nah bro, that wasn’t at you.’”
Later, when asked if he believed Gabriel, Sanders was non-committal, saying “Do I feel like he did? I don’t know.”
While Gabriel has insisted that the comments were about the media and not about his teammate, it seems like Sanders isn’t concerned with the narrative and is letting his play on the field speak for itself.
All Eyes Will Be On Gabriel vs. Sanders QB Battle
The Gabriel vs. Sanders QB battle has been one of the most hotly contested topics since the 2025 NFL Draft.
Projected to be the second quarterback off of the board, Shedeur endured a historic slide, all the way to the fifth-round. Since then, Sanders hasn’t exactly been given a fair shot to earn the QB2 job, rarely working with the first-team offense and receiving 70 fewer passing reps during training camp compared to Gabriel.
Despite the lack of opportunity, Sanders made the most of his time on the field with an eye-opening performance in Week 1 of the NFL preseason. He finished 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns while looking in complete command of Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
On the other hand, Gabriel played well in his start versus the Philadelphia Eagles but was ultimately undone by two turnovers — a fumble and an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
