Shedeur Sanders held out of Browns joint practice with Eagles with oblique injury

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PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts got in a golf cart after the Philadelphia Eagles concluded their morning joint practice against the Browns Aug. 13 and took Shedeur Sanders for a little ride around the NovaCare complex fields. It provided the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player with a chance to offer the Cleveland rookie a little positive motivation.
It was something Sanders needed on a day when he had to leave practice early after injuring his oblique. The team issued a statement just before 4 p.m. saying "further medical testing and examination … revealed an oblique strain," and that he is considered "day-to-day," but won't practice against the Eagles Aug. 14 and is "unlikely to play" in the Aug. 16 preseason game.
"I keep the conversation intimate," Hurts said during his post-practice availability. "We had a very lengthy conversation. He came to me and just wanted to talk. I'm always there. I gave him my perspective on what I see, how I go about things. Ultimately, it takes a great deal of patience and hard work, and resilience … I'm supporting him from where I am, and I'm wishing him the best in his opportunities."
Sanders did not participate in any seven-on-seven or 11-on-11 drills. He was throwing early in practice when it was individual drills, but received nothing beyond that.
Throughout the practice, Sanders stood behind the play and would occasionally go ask a question of a coach. After practice, he decided to ask a question of a quarterback who's been in the spotlight, in good and bad times, all the way back to his college days at Alabama and Oklahoma.
The 2020 second-round pick who's gone on to lead Philadelphia to two Super Bowl appearances, including a win last February, welcomed the chance to help a player like Sanders navigate his own journey.
"There's a sense of obligation to be yourself, and that's who I am to be honest and genuine and expressing how I go to where I am today," Hurts said. "It wasn't an easy journey. It's always gonna present some challenges, but continue to be who I am, continue to carry myself in a humble way, and always putting the work first. I'm aware of that. I know that's still a torch that I hold. It's something I respect and embrace and accept it for what it is.
"At the same time, I always put my focus on how I can be the best I can be, and hopefully my actions can speak louder than anything."
Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel took all of the 11-on-11 drills for the Browns in the practice. Kenny Pickett, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury, and Tyler Huntley, who is essentially QB5 on the roster, each had a seven-on-seven series.
Flacco, the Super Bowl 47 MVP who is now Sanders' teammate, said he was aware of the situation. However, in the moment, he admitted his focus was on getting through what had been a tough practice to that point for the Browns offense.
'Yeah, he said something about it, and I don't know, what can I do? 'Oh, sorry, man,'" Flacco said after practice. "It's tough. We all want to be out there getting reps but, hey, that's what training camp and football is all about. Sometimes these things happen. Sometimes you've got to deal with them, and it is what it is.'
The injury doesn't just mean Sanders won't get any reps during the two days of joint practices against the Eagles. It also means he likely won't get a chance to build on his strong preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers with the Aug. 16 preseason game in Philadelphia.
Now what? All signs point to Gabriel making his NFL debut.
"I have no clue what's going to happen," Gabriel said after the Aug. 13 practice. "I'm just right where my feet are, but time will go and we will see what happens. It's up to the coaches, and we got a lot of time up to that point."
Coach Kevin Stefanski said before the practice there was nothing firm at that moment in terms of who will get the start in the preseason game. Flacco and the rest of the regulars aren't going to play in the game between the teams, and the availability of Pickett and, especially, Gabriel will likely do a lot to establish the quarterback rotation.
Basically, if Gabriel can play, he's going to start. If not, then the questions trickle down from there.
Of course, when Stefanski was asked, it was about if Sanders would start.
"I guess if those guys [Pickett and Gabriel] could not play, yes," Stefanski said. "We're working through that. We were always going to play our young guys a lot in these games, so we'll see how it shakes out here over the next couple of days."
Both teams ran a limited number of quarterbacks in the practice. The Eagles were almost exclusively rotating between starter Jalen Hurts and backup Tanner McKee, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the former Browns quarterback who was traded to Philadelphia in the Pickett deal, did get a seven-on-seven series.
Most of the No. 1 reps for the Browns were taken by Flacco, but Gabriel got a snap or two with some combination of ones and twos. The Browns did a lot of mixing and matching up front as well, running backups with starters many times.
The practices and game against the Eagles was seen as a great opportunity for Sanders to really capitalize in the positive momentum he built during the nearly three full quarters of game action Aug. 8 at the Panthers.
The fifth-round pick out of the University of Colorado completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards with two touchdowns and a 106.8 passer rating. He played 10 possessions, leaving with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter after Gage Larvadain's 4-yard run gave the Browns a 21-7 lead.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [e-mail]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Oblique injury keeps Shedeur Sanders out of Browns practice