The Cleveland Browns are in final preparation for their third and final preseason game vs. the Los Angeles Rams. With the preseason shortened, this will be the last look at the Browns before their Week 1 regular-season game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
#Browns Kevin Stefanski said Joe Flacco will start vs #Rams, starters 25-30 plays, Dillon Gabriel will play second and Shedeur Sanders third
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 21, 2025
Before practice on Thursday, Kevin Stefanski gave a nice outline of who we could potentially see. Joe Flacco will be the starting quarterback, and Stefanski shared that all players will be available, likely playing 25-30 snaps. I would expect to see everyone in action, but Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and potentially Joel Bitonio.
Asked about Kenny Pickett not playing Saturday, Stefanski said it is for health reasons with his hamstring. https://t.co/MY1ZnByqh1
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 21, 2025
At the position under the biggest spotlight, quarterback, Stefanski shared that we will see Shedeur Sanders barring any setback with the oblique injury; we will not see Kenny Pickett because of the hamstring issue, and Dillon Gabriel will be the No. 2 quarterback.
There will certainly be speculation on whether Pickett is being held out because the team will look to trade him before the regular season, which could make sense. Andrew Berry could very well want to get one more good look at both Sanders and Gabriel on Saturday before shipping him out, but there is no sense in getting him hurt if there is an expectation that he could become available.
As far as Gabriel being No. 2 and Sanders No. 3 on the depth chart, don’t overthink that. Both quarterbacks played well, and Gabriel has been listed ahead of Sanders all offseason, likely because of where they were drafted. The first depth chart to mean something will come out the week before the first game.