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It’s not a big deal, the Browns insist.
During the Browns’ rookie minicamp on Friday, head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed the decision to have Shedeur Sanders take second in quarterback reps behind Dillon Gabriel.
He downplayed its significance.
“I wouldn’t look into anything,” Stefanski said when asked about the decision to place Sanders behind Gabriel on Friday. “You’ll see the whole weekend, going through the spring, we don’t play too close attention to who’s in there first.”
It was to be expected given that Gabriel was selected in the third round of the NFL draft and Sanders wasn’t chosen until the fifth.
Stefanski emphasized that the rotation was not indicative of a depth chart going forward but that it should be viewed as a standard practice to ensure equal opportunities for quarterback evaluation.
Both Sanders and Gabriel participated in various drills, including 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 sessions, per ESPN.
“They were as advertised,” Stefanski said after the sessions. “I thought both guys did a really nice job, and there’s so much to work on. It’s the minutiae of the position. It’s some technique things. The operation needs to get better. All those things, that’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re going to work really hard over the next few days to get these guys ready for when they join the veterans on Monday.”
Gabriel, who played six college seasons, enjoyed stints at UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon, where he played his last season.
Gabriel threw 30 touchdown passes and over 3,600 passing yards each of his last two seasons and finished third in Heisman voting in 2024 behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, getting 24 first-place votes.
Sanders, who finished eighth in Heisman voting, won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, throwing 37 touchdowns and over 4,100 passing yards.
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