NFL Rumors on Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Browns QB Battle After Preseason Week 2

The Cleveland Browns still "do not have a lot of clarity" about their quarterback situation with two NFL preseason games in the books, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter the signs are still pointing toward Joe Flacco being the starter. Beyond that, there isn't much indication as to where Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will sit in the depth chart.

"They've seen enough clarity to know that they have two rookie options that they do like in some capacity," the NFL insider said. "Joe Flacco is still expected to start but you have Shedeur Sanders perform well last week. Dillon Gabriel did some good things, a little up and down, but the Browns like how he runs the operation, the non-flash stuff. He understands Kevin Stefanski's offense, the play-action, moves around a little, can avoid sacks. All those things bode well for him, and he was drafted two rounds earlier than Shedeur. So, Browns have a lot to figure out here.

"They do not have a lot of clarity except for the fact that Joe Flacco's supposed to play the third preseason game. Kenny Pickett could also get in there as well. The Browns have not made a firm determination yet whether they're going to have four quarterbacks on the roster but they're open to it. But for a first start, this was at least good for Gabriel. They were worried about that hamstring, he was able to get out there healthy, get out of the game healthy. That's important."

Gabriel had an opportunity Saturday to make this a little easier for Cleveland. The Browns rested the 40-year-old Flacco for their matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, while Pickett (hamstring) and Sanders (oblique) were out injured. Gabriel and Tyler Huntley were the two active quarterbacks.

The southpaw went 13-of-18 for 143 yards and one interception, which went for a pick-six in the second quarter. He also lost a fumble on a bad handoff.

All in all, it was a mixed bag from Gabriel. He wasn't a complete disaster in a 22-13 victory, but he didn't exactly make an affirmative case for himself, either.

That certainly puts Stefanski and his coaches in a less than ideal position for the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. Even assuming Flacco is QB1, the trio of Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders will need to get enough reps for the team to make a full evaluation before finalizing the active roster for the regular season.