NFL Insider Says Shedeur Sanders Still Behind Dillon Gabriel for Browns Coaches

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders ultimately may not have moved the needle much in Friday's 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The rookie went 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns, which amounted to an encouraging showing.

In the aftermath of the game, The Athletic's Zac Jackson wrote Joe Flacco appears to be consolidating his status as the likely winner in Cleveland's QB battle. Little is resolved beyond that, including whether Sanders is moving ahead of Dillon Gabriel in the depth chart.

"Gabriel is ahead of Sanders in the eyes of the coaching staff, but rarely in training camp has that position matched what we’ve seen on the field," Jackson said. "If [Kenny] Pickett and Gabriel are back to full participation, it's impossible to predict how the reps will be divided this week. Stefanski, as is his trademark, won’t answer questions about his plans or any player’s potential availability."

Hamstring injuries sidelined both Pickett and Gabriel for the Panthers game. Tyler Huntley came on in relief for Sanders midway through.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski sounded pleased with performance and indicated the fifth-round pick will get extended playing time again against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The coach refused to provide any insight as to the wider QB situation, though.

"Yeah, we're really just focused on developing our players," Stefanski said. "We're in evaluation mode. I'm pleased with where the guys are, but I'm not diving into the quarterback competition."

A coaching staff isn't looking at just the raw stat line when evaluating a player in the preseason. For as much as Sanders seemingly did right on Friday, there may have been some smaller nuances he missed, mistakes that will be scrutinized by Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

The upcoming week could be very important toward cementing Sanders' odds of at least overtaking Gabriel and perhaps going further than that.