CHARLOTTE — As the Browns prepare for their first game of the preseason, they have decided which quarterback will get the first crack at the starting role.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced ahead of the joint practice with the Panthers that rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders will start on Aug. 8.
“He’s excited,” Stefanski said of Sanders. “And he knew he was going to play a good bit in these preseason games. The competitor in him is very excited.”
Their quarterback room is working through injuries as both Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel are working through hamstring injuries. Stefanski said both Pickett and Gabriel will not play in the preseason game against the Panthers, but they will each take limited reps during the joint practice against Charlotte, participating in 7-on-7.
“Just being very careful with (Gabriel),” Stefanski said. “Don’t want to expose him to an unnecessary strain.”
The Browns added depth to the quarterback room with the injuries by signing Tyler Huntley on Aug. 5. Stefanski said they are using the next two days to bring Huntley up to speed in order to be ready for the first preseason game.
“We’ll get Snoop back up to speed quickly. He’s doing a great job at working at it,” Stefanski said. “Snoop is obviously a great kid, we love having him around. So, we’re just catching him up. But there is enough similarity where he can pick it up. But, to his credit, he has been in some different offenses, so you got to shake those types of things out of your brain and bit and get caught up.”
As the Browns take the field for their joint practice, Stefanski said that Sanders will not get extra reps in order to prepare for Friday; instead, those extra reps will come in the preseason game.
However, Sanders has used reps during training camp to help prepare him to step into this role in the first week of the preseason.
Sanders has taken reps with different groups of offensive players and against different groups of defensive players over the course of training camp, connecting with multiple pass catchers during team drills. He was a part of the quarterback rotation during team drills and has experienced playing with different offensive linemen, taking snaps from their centers.
He also took extra reps during the opportunity periods following practice, which Stefanski has called the “Hungry Dawgs” period.
“My expectations for Shedeur are not different than the rest of the guys, honestly,” Stefanski said. “We expect him to go operate. When you get into these preseason games, you try and keep it very simple so guys can play fast. All concepts that our players know and not think too much and just play ball.”
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