When Will Cleveland Browns Rookie Dillon Gabriel Make Preseason Debut?

Kevin Stefanski On Dillon Gabriel's Return

During the week before Cleveland's preseason matchup with Carolina, Stefanski was asked by reporters if both Pickett and Gabriel would be available for the team's next preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 16.

“That’s the hope. We’ll see how it progresses. I think with all these injuries, you gotta take it as one day at a time," said Stefanski.

Despite not playing against the Panthers, Pickett and Gabriel did participate in the teams' joint practice before the preseason matchup. Some questioned why the two injured quarterbacks practiced, arguing that Sanders needed the reps after being named the starter against Carolina.

Stefanski was asked why the Browns were not planning to play Gabriel on Friday night:

“Just being very careful with him. Don’t want to expose him to any unnecessary strain, if you will”

Shedeur Sanders' Performance In Preseason Debut

Despite having limited reps in training camp, Sanders turned heads while leading Cleveland to the win. Sanders completed 14 of 23 pass attempts for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

Stefanski spoke to reporters after the game and shared some of his takeaways from the rookie quarterback's performance.

"The situations were invaluable for Shedeur and all of our offense," Stefanski said. "We got a third-and-1 where he had a quarterback sneak. I mean, there's just a lot of football and that's by design with him getting a ton of reps in this game, and he'll get a ton of reps next week as well. That's all part of our development of our young players."

While speaking to the media, Stefanski also said that the Browns expect Sanders to receive a large amount of reps against Philadelphia on Aug. 16. Does this mean that Gabriel and Pickett will be sidelined for another week of the preseason?

As Sanders continues to progress, some are wondering if the former Buffaloes star has passed Gabriel on the depth chart. Unlike Gabriel, Sanders has not practiced with Cleveland's first-team offense, but his preseason experience could give him an advantage over the former Oregon Ducks quarterback.