What can you do when the clock is running low? A question Stefanski wanted the players to answer on Day 6 of the Browns’ training camp. In Cleveland, despite the team claiming for it to be an “open” spot, the QBs are in for a lot more. In the brimming room, they’re competing for the first spot and the final 53-man roster. For the rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, it’s also been about who is better. So far, the third-day pick has been named after Kenny Pickett, who is, as of now, out with a hamstring injury. But Sanders hasn’t made anything easy for Gabriel.

After two days with pads, the players came out of their shells yesterday for two-minute drills and fast-paced formations. The game plan was clear: play fast, press hard, and don’t mess up. Stefanski mentioned, “We’ll be doing a lot of situational work today. A lot of two minute (drills) today as we continue down our installation schedule.” But the competition between the rookie QBs has been cruel.

While the 5th round pick has popped off in the first week of camp, leading the chart in completions on Friday and having three touchdowns on Saturday, the 3rd round pick has had a shaky performance the past two days. Now, the Oregon alum hasn’t been at his best. His struggle, unfortunately, extended into day 6 as well.

According to Yahoo Sports, “To end practice, Gabriel worked with the first team in 30-second red zone drills and was intercepted as time expired.” With that interception, he finished the day with 10 of 16. A 62.5% completion. A day marred by difficulties once again. Just this Tuesday, Cameron Mitchell baited him for a throw. He completed 6 of 9 passes without any TDs or interceptions.

Even back ok Saturday, Gabriel completed 8 of 15 passes with 1 TDs on zero INTs. The coaches, however, seem to prefer him over Shedeur. After all, he did take the No. 2 spot after Pickett’s injury.

Shedeur hasn’t been practicing with the first team as much as he would like. The past few days saw him getting reps with the third-string, but he did get some action with the second team on Day 6. However, like Gabriel, he couldn’t perform under pressure. The report from Yahoo Sports read, “Sanders missed two passes and was sacked on fourth down working with the second team.”

The same 30-second drill. The same disappointing result. The only difference? Shedeur practiced with the second team while Dillon practiced with the first. But before that, Sanders gave Gabriel a hard competition. Sanders, so far, had a 72%+ pass accuracy rate. On Saturday, he had the best showing over other QBs with 8/11 completion for 3 TDs without any interceptions. Even on the first padded practice on Tuesday, he went for a 9/9 passes with 2 TDs and no INTs. But what happened on day 6, that’s not good for the optics if you’re Sanders.

After all, if you can’t produce with the second team, you probably couldn’t with the first. Both the rookies’ ability to perform at crunch time will be a question on the coaches’ minds once the season starts. But the HC can be confident knowing Joe Flacco is still there.

Joe Flacco vs pressure drills

With a Super Bowl under his belt and a rather successful former Browns QB tag, drills with a few minutes on the clock don’t faze the veteran. Given his experience, he had opted to sit out two days of training camp, but day 6 saw him on the field. Flacco took charge in yesterday’s two-minute drills with the first team.

In a play that pumped the Browns’ offense, “on third down, Joe scrambled to the left but could not find an open receiver. With the defense concerned with him getting the first down through the air, he scampered to the opposing 42-yard line and earned the first down,” reported Noah Monroes from Clevelandbrowns.com. For Flacco, it was just another day at practice. Unlike the rookies, Joe handled the pressure drills with ease.

Of the four quarterbacks, Flacco has the best arm. Given his longevity and conditioning, he will be a shoo-in to start Week 1. When Pickett was available, there was a possible contest, but the Browns will prioritize his rehab for now. They wouldn’t choose to take any risks this early.

If the team places Pickett on IR ahead of the season, they’ll be forced to open up the backup spot. Shedeur and Gabriel will compete for the spot, and whoever prevails will take up the spot after Flacco. At the moment, the coaches seem to favor Gabriel; however, it could all change as Shedeur has been putting up impressive numbers.