Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel's Playing Time for Browns' Game vs. Rams Revealed

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski hinted at the team's Week 1 depth chart at quarterback ahead of Saturday's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

Stefanski said starter Joe Flacco will log around 20 to 30 snaps. From there, he'll go to Dillon Gabriel and then Shedeur Sanders:

Gabriel being ahead of Sanders aligns with how Cleveland has approached the position all summer.

Many wondered whether their respective performances in the Browns' two preseason clashes had shifted the dynamic at all. Sanders went 14-of-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, while Gabriel finished 13-of-18 for 143 yards and an interception in a 22-13 victoy over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Based on those numbers, Sanders seemingly had a better showing. The Athletic's Jason Lloyd dug into the advanced stats, however, and said they pointed to why the Browns "trust [Gabriel] more and believe he can handle more within an NFL offense."

Cleveland used motion more frequently with Gabriel on the field, and the southpaw was stronger when he attempted tougher throws:

"Gabriel also did a better job of throwing into realistic NFL windows that quarterbacks usually see on Sundays. NextGen Stats defines tight-window throws as attempts to targets with less than a yard of separation from the nearest defender when the pass arrives. 

"Gabriel was 3 of 4 on those throws against the Eagles, according to NextGen Stats, and two of those turned third downs into first downs. Sanders was 0 for 4 on tight-window throws against the Panthers. Gabriel's interception last weekend was a rookie making a bad play worse. The targets on the route were not where they were supposed to be, but things are going to go wrong for quarterbacks, particularly those on a bad team with limited offensive weapons. Gabriel compounded the problem with the throw. It's a teaching moment."

Maybe Sanders outclasses Gabriel on Saturday in such a way that Stefanski and his staff have no choice but to appoint the former Colorado as Flacco's backup. All of the available evidence so far points to the QB pecking order in Week 1 being exactly what it is against the Rams.