It's been a confusing week for Shedeur Sanders' placement on the Cleveland Browns' QB depth chart.
He started their preseason opener with the three players ahead of him unavailable. He played very well, throwing two touchdowns in an efficient performance. And then he began this week still as QB4 for the Browns.
Despite that, he's still got a chance to start Saturday in the second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski shared that news with reporters on Wednesday morning, with one catch:
If Dillon Gabriel is healthy, he will start. If he's not, it's Shedeur again.
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Gabriel is battling a hamstring injury, which was the reason he didn't play in the opener against the Panthers.
The Browns aren't planning to play veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in the preseason contest against the Eagles. They're getting the majority of the reps in this week's joint practices against the defending Super Bowl champs, which Stefanski prioritizes. That leaves the weekend to the rookies.
The Browns also still have Tyler Huntley around if Gabriel is unavailable and the Browns want to give reps to someone after Sanders.
The rookie from Colorado did everything he could in his first preseason outing to prove that he's at least got a chance of making things work in the NFL after falling to the fifth round and pick No. 144.
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There were No. 12 Browns jerseys for Sanders scattered around the crowd in Charlotte, along with some No. 2 Colorado jerseys. Clearly, he has a large base of support.
Even if he doesn't start Saturday, he should see ample reps behind Gabriel. And if Sanders can build on his first strong performance, he'll continue to make the case that there's a real NFL future for the player who was passed on 143 times before the Browns finally drafted him.
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