When Kenny Pickett pulled up with a hamstring injury during red-zone drills on July 26, it wasn’t just a physical setback—it cracked open a real window of opportunity in the Browns‘ QB room. Pickett had just started finding rhythm in camp, and suddenly, he was sidelined for three straight practices, watching from the sidelines as Joe Flacco took the bulk of first-team reps.

But on Day 8, he was back—still limited, just individual drills, no team reps, no spotlight—but very much present. No limp. No sulking. Just steady steps toward full speed. And now? Let’s just say he’s talking less about the injury and more about giving his absolute 100 percent. “Yeah, 100% it is,” he said about his return.

He went on, “I’m trying to get back out there, you know, as fast as possible. I’ve never had, you know, a soft tissue injury like this, so really the first time experience of my career, I felt like I came in in great shape. I was hitting numbers speed-wise. I’ve never hit before, so it’s frustrating that it happened, but, you know, turn the page and just trying to be, you know, as good as I can be when I do return.” Prior to sustaining a hamstring injury, Pickett recorded a strong couple of practices at the Browns’ training camp.

The QB opened camp sharing first-team reps with Flacco, while rookie Dillon Gabriel quietly carved out a few meaningful snaps of his own. But once Pickett tweaked his hamstring and hit the sideline, the rotation shifted fast. Flacco took command, Gabriel saw a bump, and even Shedeur Sanders found himself deeper in the mix. At least for a short stretch.

Fast forward to Pickett’s return, the fourth-year quarterback did not participate in any team drills on Day 8 of the camp, sure. But the logic tracks. Following a hamstring injury, Pickett was expected to be out for at least a week. Soon after, the head coach, Kevin Stefanski, expressed his disappointment. “Disappointed that he’s not full go, but he’s very much involved in everything we’re doing,” he said.

And now that Pickett is healing, expect him to give his 100% to grab the starting job once he gets the first-team reps again. However, there’s a wrinkle as Day 9 of the training camp rolled in. The Browns are moving forward with just a couple of quarterbacks on Saturday’s practice.

Shedeur Sanders joined Kenny Pickett on the sidelines

The Browns expected a tough quarterback competition at the training camp, no doubt. But they probably never expected this competition to be between just two QBs—Flacco and Gabriel—at least for one day. The former Colorado quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, joined Pickett in the list of Browns’ quarterbacks not participating in team drills on Saturday (August 2). The reason?

Well, if the reports carry weight, Sanders is out due to “a little soreness” in his arm. A team spokesperson confirmed the news. Sanders was out there with the rest of the QBs, going through some light individual work—nothing too intense. But once the Browns shifted into 11-on-11s, his absence was hard to miss. While the rest of the offense got down to business, Sanders stayed behind the action, observing from the backfield.

For the entire 90-minute session, he never stepped into the huddle, never took a snap—just watched. ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi added a layer of optimism around Shedeur’s arm complications. “I’m good,” Shedeur reportedly told Grossi. Shedeur was a constant presence in the Browns’ practices. OTAs? Check. Mandatory minicamp? Absolutely. Overtime? He’s the last one to leave.

But for the first time, he won’t be in action. It’s not intentional? It’s just fate. With Kenny Pickett already sidelined—as he recovers from his hamstring injury—and now Shedeur is set to hold out on Day 9 of camp, Flacco and Gabriel will split the reps. As for the rookie from Colorado, he’s expected to return soon.