Browns QB takeaways: Shedeur Sanders swallowed up, Dillon Gabriel makes the case to be Joe Flacco’s backup

The speak of this yr’s NFL rookie class retook the sector on Saturday, as Shedeur Sanders made his second and remaining preseason look of the 2025 marketing campaign. The fifth-round draft choose, who began the Cleveland Browns‘ exhibition opener, was the group’s No. 3 quarterback this time round, taking second-half snaps in reduction of veteran Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams.

Sanders was composed in his first preseason motion earlier this month, finishing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in opposition to the Carolina Panthers. He was notably promising on the transfer, retaining his eyes downfield underneath stress and showcasing passing precision within the purple zone. And all that got here regardless of the big-name Colorado product getting into the preseason listed fourth amongst quarterbacks on the Browns’ unofficial depth chart.

How, precisely, did Sanders fare in his second preseason go-round, this time in opposition to the Rams? Listed below are our main takeaways relating to all of the Browns’ quarterbacks simply three days earlier than the NFL’s deadline for 53-man rosters to be finalized:

Shedeur Sanders will get swallowed up

If Shedeur’s first preseason recreation was a show of pocket poise, this one was simply concerning the reverse. Whereas the rookie by no means dropped his head in resignation, Sanders was simply the least efficient of Cleveland’s 4 quarterbacks Saturday, and it primarily needed to do along with his failure to elude or outpace a gentle go rush.

Make no mistake: The Browns’ offensive line did not do him a ton of favors. However Sanders additionally extended performs by holding onto the ball in and across the pocket, as he usually did at Colorado. By the tip of Saturday, he’d absorbed 5 sacks, dropping a mixed 41 yards — and nearly one fumble — on account of these hits. Throwing the ball wasn’t significantly better, as Sanders managed to finish simply three of six passes for 14 yards in nearly a full half of motion.

The most important indictment of his efficiency might have been his absence from the lineup within the remaining two minutes of Saturday’s recreation, when coach Kevin Stefanski elected to have journeyman Tyler Huntley lead a comeback try, regardless of the youthful Sanders nearly actually having higher odds to make the roster. Huntley instantly regarded extra comfy on the controls, establishing a last-second Browns win whereas leaning upon the identical backups with whom Sanders performed.

Does this all imply Sanders is finished? Nicely, it relies on the way you outline “finished.” The hype practice that took off after his first exhibition recreation is actually at a standstill. So too, it appears, are his possibilities of usurping Flacco early within the yr. However the Browns appear intent on taking part in this complete room with endurance, which suggests he is nonetheless a secure wager to stay round as a developmental reserve, maybe as a real third- or fourth-stringer, offered group brass is telling the reality about carrying 4 passers into the common season.

Dillon Gabriel makes a case to be high backup

If Sanders took a step again Saturday, his 2025 draftmate at quarterback took a visual step ahead. Gabriel, the Browns’ third-round choose this spring, was uneven in his preseason debut, notably throwing a choose six in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles. This time, he was far more managed, ending 12 of 19 for 129 yards and one landing. The numbers do not even do him full justice, as he additionally did one thing Sanders did not also have a likelihood to do in opposition to the Rams: orchestrate a powerful situational drive.

Gabriel’s finest work got here on an 11-play, 86-yard landing drive simply earlier than halftime, during which he picked aside Los Angeles’ backups with decisiveness and accuracy. He was mainly the stylistic reverse of Sanders: Whereas the latter crept out of the pocket looking for a significant play, Gabriel performed completely inside the construction, showcasing his trademark contact and imaginative and prescient. In different phrases, he did his job effectively.

His efficiency ought to all however lock him into the Browns’ 53-man roster, however in actuality, his place wasn’t actually in jeopardy. The true case he made Saturday was to be Flacco’s high backup. If veteran Kenny Pickett sticks round, it might be arduous for Stefanski to decide on Gabriel over a extra skilled insurance coverage coverage because the No. 2, however Gabriel additionally embodies the type of quarterback Stefanski appears to covet: somebody with the instincts and decision-making to easily perform the offensive plans with reliability.

Predicting what’s subsequent for Browns’ QBs

So the place, precisely, can we stand in Cleveland now? This is how we see all of it shaking out:

• Joe Flacco opens the 2025 season because the beginning quarterback, as has already been introduced. Flacco, 40, overcame a three-and-out to open his 2025 preseason debut with some crisp throws in opposition to the Rams, placing the Browns on the board first. He appears to be like the half as “the man,” for now. And we would count on Stefanski to offer him a good leash as he tries to remain aggressive within the AFC North.
• Kenny Pickett opens the season because the backup quarterback due nearly solely to his beginning NFL expertise. His preseason unavailability rendered him a non-factor in current conversations concerning the Browns’ crowded room, however he had some flashes in coaching camp, and Sanders’ blatant struggles in Saturday’s preseason finale might have underscored the membership’s want for confirmed insurance coverage.
• Dillon Gabriel opens the season because the No. 3 quarterback, cementing himself as the highest rookie reserve with a progressively promising preseason. He might not possess the arm or expertise of Flacco, the mobility of Pickett or the moxie of Sanders, however the Oregon product has proven he is received the psychological make-up of a possible plug-and-play Stefanski fill-in, prioritizing steadiness over splashiness.
• Shedeur Sanders opens the season because the No. 4 quarterback, spending early recreation days inactive whereas refining his craft behind the veterans. His preseason debut confirmed he is received sufficient within the tank to be one thing on the NFL stage. His preseason follow-up was a actuality examine: He is nonetheless received a methods to go earlier than he may be requested to hold an NFL offense when the circumstances are dire.
• Tyler Huntley is launched as a part of remaining roster cuts however stays on the Browns’ radar both as practice-squad depth or as an in-season emergency possibility. His finest exhibiting got here within the shut of Cleveland’s preseason finale, however we would wager the Browns will worth the long-term upside of their rookie draft picks, understanding they will in all probability circle again to Huntley down the highway if wanted.