This week brought another major opportunity for Shedeur Sanders in the Cleveland Browns' QB race. Despite gaining zero ground on the depth chart following an electric preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers last week, momentum was building for the former Colorado star.
Unfortunately, early on during the first day of the Browns' two-day joint practice with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders suffered an oblique injury that kept him out of the remainder of practice.
Reports had circulated during practice that Sanders had been receiving zero reps, which threw up red flags all over amid plenty of previous evidence that the Browns have been sabotaging Sanders since they drafted him in April.
ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news of Sanders' injury:
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury while throwing during the early portion of practice today, and was held out for the rest of the session.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2025
Shedeur Sanders' injury could threaten his availability for preseason week two
This is the second unfortunate setback suffered by Sanders during Browns Training Camp. He dealt with arm soreness and missed a practice a couple of weeks ago, and now has an oblique injury that could threaten to hold him out of Cleveland's second preseason game this Saturday against the Eagles.
This is a rough setback for the former Colorado star QB as he looks to fight his way up the depth chart. He was looking to build off the momentum of his preseason debut, where he sliced and diced the Panthers' defense for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
It has remained unlikely that Sanders is an actual contender to start for the Browns this season. Head coach Kevin Stefanski clearly prefers veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and despite plenty of evidence showing he's the more promising rookie, Sanders has yet to be able to overtake Dillon Gabriel, either.
The Sanders injury doesn't sound like it's anything long-term, but missing any time as a rookie fighting for a roster spot isn't good. He can't afford to miss the valuable practice reps and preseason, especially when he's likely to spend most, if not all, of his rookie season on the bench.
Here's hoping he's able to get back to practice quickly, and this injury is a minor setback that caused the Browns to act out of an abundance of caution.