As the Cleveland Browns continue training camp, the competition between the team's quarterbacks also rolls on. On Friday's practice, Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders impressed, completing 70 percent of his passes with one touchdown and zero interceptions, per ESPN Cleveland.
The former Colorado Buffaloes star had an accurate day of work, and Browns quarterback Joe Flacco also had an impressive day, completing 9/13 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Perhaps most notably, Cleveland rookie Dillon Gabriel struggled during his reps. The former Oregon Ducks star finished the day only completing three passes on 14 attempts, and he threw his second interception of training camp.
Here are the full statistics from Cleveland's eighth day of training camp, per ESPN Cleveland:
- Flacco: 9/13, 2 TD, 0 INT
- Sanders: 7/10, 1 TD, 0 INT
- Gabriel, 3/14, 0 TD, 0 INT
The Browns also have quarterback Kenny Pickett competing for the starting job, but Pickett is still returning from a hamstring injury and did not compete in team drills as he continues his recovery.
Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski and his staff have given a majority of first-team reps to Flacco while Gabriel moved up to the second team after Flacco's injury. Sanders and Gabriel have split reps with the second unit, but Flacco's reps imply that he is the favorite to be the Browns' starting quarterback when the regular season arrives.
Per ESPN reporter Daniel Oyefusi, Gabriel also worked with the first-team offense for a few reps during Friday's practice. Oyefusi also reported that Gabriel spent a majority of his time with the second-team offense while Sanders worked with the third-team offense.
Does the division of reps between Cleveland's rookie quarterbacks imply their standing on the depth chart?
Gabriel often finishes each practice with more pass attempts than Sanders, but the former Colorado star has impressed lately with his accuracy. Sanders has protected the ball, and he has also completed above an average of 70 percent of his passes over Cleveland's last few practices.
During his time with the Buffaloes, Sanders had one of the highest completion percentages in the country. In his senior year, Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the top quarterback in college football each year. He broke a number of program records at Colorado, including the single season record for completion percentage.
Cleveland Browns Preseason
Cleveland will open the preseason on Friday, Aug. 8, against the Carolina Panthers. The Browns will also face the Philadelphia Eagles (Aug. 16) and Los Angeles Rams (Aug. 23) before starting the regular season on Sept. 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Panthers coach Dave Canales announced on Friday that Carolina's starters, including quarterback Bryce Young, will see some playing time during the team's first two preseason games. Stefanski and the Browns have not yet revealed their plans for the preseason.
With Flacco's veteran status and Pickett's injury, the number of preseason reps could increase for both Sanders and Gabriel.
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