Sheuder Sanders is unlikely to play in the Cleveland Browns’ upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.
The rookie suffered an oblique injury during team drills that kept him out of Wednesday’s practice.
And after Thursday’s joint practice with the Eagles, head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke to reporters for the first time since Sanders’ injury.
How serious is Shedeur Sanders’ injury?
Stefanksi told reporters that Sanders’ injury is being assessed day-to-day and he will only be out for a “little bit.”
“Yeah, he felt it early, I think warming up, and then felt it throughout. You know, if it’s a right guard, you can play through that,” Stefanski said.
“When it’s a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw. So, unfortunately, gonna put him down for a little bit here.
“We’ll treat it day to day and see how it responds, but want to be smart ’cause he’s a thrower, so you can’t push that thing.”
While Sanders wasn’t completely ruled out for Saturday’s game, it’s more likely that fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel will get an extended look.
Stefanksi admitted that Gabriel was always going to get a start in a preseason game, but with Sanders out of action, the former Colorado star won’t get a chance to strengthen his case amid a competitive quarterback room
“Again, the plan was always to give both of those guys a start in the preseason so we’ll see how it shakes out,” Stefanski added
Sanders was the only Browns quarterback who didn’t take any reps in the team’s last two practice sessions.
Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Gabriel and Tyler Huntley all took snaps on either Wednesday or Thursday.
Before Sanders’ injury, Stefanksi also admitted that Sanders would have started the second preseason game had Gabriel and Pickett’s injury issues persisited.
Shedeur Sanders missing time is a huge blow
Sanders, who slid to the 144th pick in April’s NFL draft, impressed in the Browns’ preseason opener, playing 45 snaps while completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
However, the injury will serve as a huge setback in his battle to move up the Browns’ depth chart
While Sanders could play in the preseason game on Aug. 23, oblique injuries can linger, so there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready or healthy enough to play his best.
And with Stefanski potentially having a roster decision to make regarding quarterbacks, Sanders being out of action won’t help his case.
Keeping four quarterbacks on a roster is unconventional, and while it’s hard to envision the team trading any quarterback, the Browns will need to figure out the order of these signal-callers.
The Browns benefit from the fact that there are two veterans and two rookies, which is a good mix to have.
Although once the regular season starts, it’s unlikely that all of these quarterbacks will get normal practice reps.
It’s not impossible that Sanders, who is doing everything to stand out, like partaking in a midnight workout or hiring a specialist quarterback coach, could force his way up the depth chart.
However, with this injury, that road just got a lot tougher.
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