Shedeur Sanders injury update: Browns QB1 out for crucial Eagles game; return timeline set

Shedeur Sanders, who is expected to lead the Cleveland Browns through the 2025 season, is facing injury concerns. He will likely miss the Eagles preseason game

Shedeur Sanders, who is expected to lead the Cleveland Browns through the 2025 season, is facing injury concerns. The rookie quarterback sustained an oblique injury during drills ahead of practice on Wednesday. He is likely to miss out on the Browns' preseason game against the Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) on the sideline during the second half against the Carolina Panthers (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

With Sanders out, Dillon Gabriel might get his full-game preseason debut at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.

After sustaining an injury on Wednesday, Sanders did not play the remainder of the practice session. He was ruled out of Thursday's practice, too. The Browns said Sanders is day-to-day.

In his preseason debut, the 23-year-old completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards with two first-half touchdown passes to Kaden Davis. He led the Browns to a win against the Carolina Panthers. His father and legendary coach Deion Sanders, and LeBron James were in awe of his performance.

“That young (man) looking good out there,” James wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. “Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high.”

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski hinted that Sanders should be ready for regular season. He might even get some game time in the team's final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.

“The situations were invaluable for Shedeur and all of our offense. We got a third-and-1 where he had a quarterback sneak. I mean, there’s just a lot of football and that’s by design with him getting a ton of reps in this game, and he’ll get a ton of reps next week as well. That’s all part of our development of our young players," Stefanski said.

Shedeur Sanders joined Cleveland after some intense drama in the NFL Draft. He unexpectedly slipped to the fifth round and was the 144th overall pick. Sanders, who finished eighth in last season’s Heisman Trophy voting, set a Colorado single-season passing record with 4,134 yards. Despite his college success, he joins an already crowded Browns quarterback depth chart at a time when starter Deshaun Watson is sidelined for the year with a torn Achilles tendon.

Cleveland’s QB competition also features Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco, and third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel, who set the FBS record for total touchdowns (188) over a six-year career at UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Training camp has been challenging for the group, with Pickett slowed by a hamstring injury and Gabriel also dealing with tightness in the same muscle.