The Browns just wrapped up two humid, hard-hitting days of joint practice with the Eagles, and the takeaways are here. While a jam-packed quarterback room has been the most talked-about thing in Berea, sure. But it was the defense that stole the show. On both days. As Lance Reisland put it on X, “#Browns defensive line continues to play well into day 2 of joint practices. Focus is get off and violent hands!! Graham with great play on screen early in the session.” Efficient!

Day two of the joint practice also witnessed Cleveland hero and the Eagles legend, Jason Kelce, showing up on the sidelines, watching the collapse-causing rushes. But then again, the conversation shifted to the QB room—still the off-season’s biggest mystery. Shedeur Sanders was sidelined with an oblique injury, and the writing has already been on the wall: he may not start the preseason Week 2. Kenny Pickett was laid up with a hamstring and was limited to practice.

Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel just didn’t have it during team periods. He’s also down with hamstring complications. Taken all together, that opened the door for Joe Flacco, who soaked up reps, delivered crisp throws, and found his tight ends in the end zone more than once. Rumblings now suggest what everyone has been talking about for months: Flacco’s lining up for Week 1—even if Kevin Stefanski hasn’t made it official yet.

Following a couple of days of the joint practice, CBS released a report, and one headline was eye-catching. “Browns may have Week 1 starter,” and rightfully so. Yes, we’re talking about Flacco and not Shedeur. CBS reported that the 40-year-old vet “was on a mission to prove he should be starting for the Browns in Week 1, and is the clear front-runner for the job.” Stats did the rest of the talking.

Amidst an injury-concerned quarterback room, Flacco threw a pretty pass to David Njoku for a touchdown at the end of 11-on-11s. And Njoku? The TE ran and beat the Eagles’ linebacker Jihaad Campbell on the route. Flacco already knew it was going for a score, and it sure did as Njoku celebrated the TD with his teammates. But it wasn’t the sole TD from Flacco in the final 11-on-11 session. He then threw a TD pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr., followed by another one to Jamari Thrash to end his day.

And just like that, Joe Flacco is now projected to start Week 1 in September. As CBS put it bluntly, “This quarterback job is clearly Flacco’s to lose. He should be starting in Week 1.” But Shedeur Sanders? See, it’s not that Flacco seems to win the starting job just because a few of the Browns’ quarterbacks were sidelined. Nope. For months, he’s been the QB1 on the depth chart while Shedeur was buried at No. 4 behind Pickett and Gabriel.

Kevin Stefanski and his crew have probably already made up their mind when it comes to the starting job. To spice it up, Shedeur’s oblique injury has done the rest of the job. That said, while we can expect the Colorado Buffaloes product to get the QB1 job at some point in the season, sure. But it’s unlikely for him to be under the center in Week 1. And not just week 1, but the Preseason Week 2 as well.

It’s confirmed: No Shedeur Sanders for preseason week 2

Pretty much everything’s in play right now. That’s been the vibe on social media when it comes to the Browns’ QB room ahead of their preseason clash with the reigning champs. Logic tracks as well. Shedeur Sanders was locked in as QB 1 for Week 1. The head coach even said so himself. “Yeah, I guess if those guys could not play, yes, and we’re working through that,” Stefanski said when asked if Shedeur would start in case Gabriel and Pickett wouldn’t.

Fast forward to now, and let’s just not sugarcoat it: Shedeur is not starting in Week 2. The crystal? His oblique injury, of course. The rookie QB sustained an injury in the joint practice and has been MIA from the action ever since. Consider him out of the Saturday game as well. “If you’re a right guard, you can kind of play through that,” the HC said, addressing Shedeur’s injury. “When it’s a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw.”

Camryn Justice, the Emmy-winning sports journalist, added another layer to it on Friday, August 15. “Kevin Stefanski reiterates that Shedeur Sanders is “unlikely” to play in Saturday’s preseason game,” she wrote on X. “He’s not ready to decide if Dillon Gabriel will start, still working through the hamstring injury. Could Snoop Huntley play the whole game? ‘Everything’s on the table.‘” That’s the thing. Everything’s on the table.

While odds are in favor of Gabriel to start, sure. But he’s still recovering from the hamstring setback. Meanwhile, if Gabriel fails to do the job, expect the emergency quarterback, Tyler Huntley, to step up. Taken all together, Joe Flacco has seemingly locked in as the QB 1 for the Week of the regular season. Meanwhile, Shedeur is unlikely to appear in Week 2 of the preseason.