Browns' plans for preseason finale seem to confirm rumors

An update shared on Thursday morning suggested that Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski still had quarterback Dillon Gabriel above fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders on the team's unofficial depth chart. 

Stefanski seemed to confirm that's the case while speaking about how he'll handle Cleveland's signal-callers for this coming Saturday's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams. 

Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Stefanski revealed on Thursday that Week 1 starter Joe Flacco will start Saturday's home game and play "between 20 to 25 plays" with other first-teamers. Gabriel will be Flacco's primary backup, followed by Sanders. 

Sanders won't play against the Rams if he experiences any type of setback related to the oblique injury that kept him from playing in this past Saturday's preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles. Stefanski added that Kenny Pickett won't take the field against the Rams because of the hamstring injury Pickett initially suffered on July 26. Pickett missed Cleveland's previous preseason contests because of that issue.

Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry seemingly said plenty about how they viewed their two rookie quarterbacks when they selected Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft before Cleveland took a flier on Sanders in the fifth round. It's widely believed Sanders started Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8 only because Gabriel was recovering from a hamstring injury at that time. 

Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns while helping Cleveland earn a 30-10 victory at Carolina. It's unclear if he would've received an opportunity to leapfrog Gabriel on the depth chart had Sanders been able to play against the Eagles. 

At Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, Gabriel completed 13-of-18 pass attempts for 143 yards with a pick-six and a lost fumble.

Numerous reports have noted that the Browns are serious about carrying four quarterbacks on the roster for their regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Cleveland could also stash a signal-caller on injured reserve before that game. 

Judging by Stefanski's words, it sounds like Gabriel and not Sanders would be Cleveland's QB2 on the first Sunday of September in the event that Pickett isn't available for any reason.