The battle for the quarterback position is hotter than ever within the Cleveland Browns, and every detail seems to be taken into account as the final decision looms on who will take the reins of the team’s offense in Week 1. Meanwhile, the tests in training camp continue, exposing one of the rookies.
Kevin Stefanski challenged his players with a dynamic that demands speed, intense pressure, and minimal room for error. In this scenario, it’s the first-year players who are testing the concepts they learn daily.
Shedeur Sanders keeps shining; Dillon Gabriel faltered
Shedeur Sanders, a fifth-round draft pick, continues to shine in the first week of camp, leading the completion percentage chart on Friday and throwing three touchdowns on Saturday. For Dillon Gabriel, formerly of the Oregon Ducks, the story is quite different.
On the sixth day of practice, according to Yahoo Sports and seen in social media videos, Gabriel worked with the first team in 30-second red-zone drills, where he threw an interception as time expired. He ended the day with 10 of 16 passes completed, a 62.5% completion rate, marking another day of struggles.
With Kenny Pickett sidelined by a hamstring injury, it’s critical for both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders to prove their value to the team.
Sanders‘ situation is quite different. As noted, he hasn’t worked with the first team as much as he’d like, recently spending time with the third team and, more lately, the second team. According to the Yahoo report, “Sanders missed two passes and was sacked on fourth down while working with the second team” in the same 30-second drill, yielding a similarly disappointing result.
Meanwhile, Joe Flacco handled the practice with ease. He never appeared pressured, and his experience shone through, even securing a first down on the ground when he couldn’t find an open receiver. It seems the veteran is winning the battle for the starting role, though that remains to be seen.
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