Shedeur Sanders has faced an uphill battle since the NFL draft, and things just got a little tougher for the Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback.
Sanders missed a practice session on Saturday, August 2, due to a shoulder issue, per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is being held out of team drills today due to what the team is calling shoulder soreness,” Schefter posted to X.
Saturday’s drills were the first time Sanders has missed this preseason, including OTAs rookie minicamp, mandatory minicamp and now full training camp.
Sanders’ shoulder issues arrived six days ahead of the team’s first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. The Browns follow that with two joint practices against the Philadelphia Eagles before preseason Game No. 2 in Philly on August 16.
Most NFL insiders expect Cleveland will officially name a starting quarterback by mid-month.
Shedeur Sanders Has Chance to Start for Browns at Some Point in 2025, Even if He Begins Year on Practice Squad
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns
Sanders ostensibly entered camp as No. 4 on the depth chart behind Dillon Gabriel and veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco.
The 23-year-old former Colorado Buffaloes star turned heads on the coaching staff during the work leading up to training camp, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. That said, he remains a fifth-round rookie who may end up on the practice squad come September.
That doesn’t mean Sanderswon’t ultimately get a chance to start at some point in 2025, even despite the number of QBs clogging up the depth chart. Either Flacco or Pickett is likely to win the starting job, while the other could find himself on the trade block before the end of August.
“Cleveland is open to the idea of any one of the four winning the job for Week 1, and the way the coaching staff divides reps in the coming weeks could offer clues about who is in the lead,” Dan Graziano of ESPN wrote in late July. “It’s also possible — even likely — they end up trading one of these guys before the season starts.”
The Browns have among the toughest six-game schedules to begin the season and starting a veteran provides cover for Sanders and Gabriel over what would be a brutal introduction to the NFL.
Soon after that stretch, if Cleveland is no longer competitive in the AFC North and/or the conference as a whole, the Browns will probably consider transitioning to Gabriel and/or Sanders. That will allow Cleveland to see what it has in the rookie tandem before deciding what to do with two first-round picks in the 2026 draft,, vis-a-vie adding a top rookie signal-caller.
Kenny Pickett’s Future With Browns Remains in Jeopardy After Hamstring Injury
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett.
All that said, if Sanders’ shoulder issue is serious enough to detract from his opportunities to prove himself over the next few weeks, that will likely cement his position as QB4 on the depth chart.
Pickett dealt with a similar scenario after sustaining a hamstring injury exactly one week ago during a practice session. The fourth-year veteran sat out five days before returning to action on Saturday, albeit in a limited capacity.
If Pickett’s absence from full activities isn’t overly protracted, he may still be a serious candidate to start for the Browns against the Cincinnati Bengals in the season-opener. However, his status for joint practices next week against the Panthers remains up in the air, as does his future in Cleveland.
“Obviously disappointed that he’s not full go, but he’s very much involved in everything we’re doing,” Stefanski said Saturday.
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