Two weeks ago, Shedeur Sanders was just shaking off a sore arm, ripping passes in preseason, and making a real push for that QB1 conversation. The Colorado veteran looked sharp and confident, with 2 touchdowns and guiding the Browns to a 30-10 win against the Panthers. It just felt like nothing could slow him down. But the NFL has a cruel way of flipping the script, and today it did.

Midway through a joint practice with the Eagles, Sanders walked off with an oblique injury. Another hit to a Cleveland Browns quarterback room that’s already looking like a medical ward. Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel are still nursing hamstring issues, and now the rookie who’d been turning heads is sidelined, too.

As practice wound up, Sanders stayed on the field with Jalen Hurts; the two were locked in conversation long after most had cleared out. Hurts played like a gracious host, giving the rookie a ride back toward the locker room. For all their differences, Sanders and Hurts share a rare bond. One quarterback is just six months removed from an MVP-level showing in Super Bowl LIX. The other? A rookie fifth-rounder who just made waves in his very first NFL start. Jalen Hurts didn’t treat that gap in the resume as a difference, though.

After practice, he spoke about their on-field moment. “We had a very lengthy conversation. He came to me and just wanted to talk. I’m always there… I’m supporting him…and wishing him nothing but the best,” Hurts said. The Browns later confirmed Sanders stayed engaged even after his injury, watching from the sideline as the team ran through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work. It’s the sort of update no Cleveland fan really wants, but in Berea, they’ve almost grown numb to quarterback setbacks.

The memory of handing Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract is still there. Along with the sting of him missing most of his Browns tenure through injuries. That nightmare is still alive; Watson won’t return in 2025. Only Joe Flacco remained untouched, forcing Kevin Stefanski’s hand. Cleveland moved quickly, taking Tyler Huntley from Miami to keep the quarterback room full. Sanders had been their spark—until the injury struck again—leaving his next chapter in preseason now uncertain.

The quarterback shuffle in Cleveland

Deshaun Watson recently gave Browns fans a glimpse of his comeback grind, taking to Instagram with a string of training clips that showed crisp footwork, sharp throws, and a determined edge in his expression. Working alongside his personal quarterback coach, Quincy Avery, Watson powered through both run and pass drills with purpose. His message was clear, writing: “@quincyavery 7 months and we back at it. MoreGLORY 🙏🏿 ‘Small things to a GIANT.’” After Cleveland gambled its future on his arm, last season’s inconsistency left questions hanging. Now, every rep is about proving the franchise didn’t make a $230 million mistake.

Meanwhile, amid the injury chaos in Cleveland’s quarterback room, veteran Joe Flacco continues to soak up the lion’s share of practice reps and appears locked in as the Week 1 starter. But the short-term question isn’t about opening day. It’s about who lines up under center for the Browns’ second preseason game against the Eagles. Before Shedeur Sanders’ setback, Kevin Stefanski had indicated the rookie would get the nod if Dillon Gabriel couldn’t go. “Yeah, I guess if those guys could not play, yes, and we’re working through that,” Stefanski said when asked about Sanders starting in place of Pickett and Gabriel.

“We were always going to play our young guys a lot in these games, so we’ll see how it shakes out here over the next couple of days.” Now that plan is already out. The Browns face yet another depth puzzle at the game’s most important position. A familiar storyline for a team still waiting to see if their high-priced bet on Watson will finally pay off.