A few hours before kickoff against the Philadelphia Eagles in preseason Week 2, we finally have an answer on today's QB situation! The Browns announced that Dillon Gabriel is expected to start, getting his first NFL action against the defending champs — or at least a skeleton version of them.
The Cleveland Browns' quarterback competition might end up being a battle of attrition. Once- presumed starter Kenny Pickett has been out with a hamstring injury for a few weeks and it has given way to Joe Flacco to seemingly win the job by default, preseason Week 1 starter Shedeur Sanders is sidelined with an oblique injury and third round pick Dillon Gabriel was out last week with a hamstring injury, so today will be the first we see of him in game action.
Dillon Gabriel expected to start on Saturday vs. Eagles
As we close in on kickoff, there still isn't a definitive answer whether Dilon Gabriel will be good to go. Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN did report, though, that there's "optimism" Gabriel will be able to go, but he'll be evaluated on Saturday morning before making a final decision.
Of course, Gabriel playing in the preseason is a pretty important development for the team's QB competition. Joe Flacco is the leader to start! In 2025! That doesn't seem like too difficult a job to steal with some quality preseason play, but these guys have to be healthy to do that, and Gabriel will get his chance on Saturday to follow up an impressive start from Sanders last week.
Shedeur Sanders out today, could return to practice next week
The one rookie QB we have seen in action, Shedeur Sanders, is not expected to play on Saturday with an oblique injury. He seems to have avoided worst-case scenario though, and could be back at practice next week. But he won't have a chance to really make progress in the QB comp on Saturday. Unless Dillon Gabriel looks really bad. Then, I guess he'd make progress in a different way. But you know what I mean.
Tyler Huntley will backup Gabriel with Pickett, Sanders injured
Well, it seemed for a bit like we'd get a full game of Tyler Huntley, but that's no longer the case. The team brought Huntley in for this exact reason; to play in the preseason if everyone else is hurt. He likely won't make the regular season roster as it seems much less likely that any of Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel or Sanders will be cut.
Huntley is a Pro Bowler, so I'll show some respect, but he's unfurtunately part of the most crowded QB room in the league, so he's up against the odds to hang on in Cleveland. Still, even with Gabriel playing today, Huntley will presumably get a lot of second half reps, and positive preseason performances could get him a job elsewhere, so this would still be an important game for "Snoop," even if it's not an audition to stay with the Browns.