Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski attempted to play down the importance of Dillon Gabriel taking the first reps at rookie minicamp – ahead of Shedeur Sanders at rookie minicamp.
Sanders was tipped by many – his own father included – to be a top-five draft pick. But the former Colorado quarterback suffered one the most shocking slides in NFL history.
He was eventually selected by Cleveland with the 144th overall pick – not before the Browns had taken ex-Oregon star Gabriel.
Both quarterbacks were given their first chance to impress on Friday, when they took part in their maiden practice as NFL players.
It was third-round pick Gabriel – not Sanders – who was under center for the first snaps of team drills, prompting questions about the hierarchy among the two rookie quarterbacks.
But Stefanski insisted: ‘I wouldn’t look into really anything.’
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski got a first look at Shedeur Sanders on Friday
The ex-Colorado quarterback took part in rookie minicamp following his shocking draft slide
Former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel took the first reps ahead of Sanders on Friday
The head coach would not give any more away when he asked if the order was based on draft status.
‘I wouldn’t look into anything. You’ll see the whole weekend, going through the spring, we don’t pay too close attention to who is in there first,’ Stefanski insisted.
When pressed on whether the order will change on Saturday, he added: ‘We’ll see. Will you be here?’
Sanders and Gabriel are part of a packed quarterback room in Cleveland, alongside veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and the injured Deshaun Watson. Flacco is reportedly in ‘pole position’ to be the No 1 quarterback heading into the 2025 season.
But Stefanski said: ‘There’s a lot of time between now and September, so we’ll have a plan. But it’s an all-encompassing evaluation.’
On his two rookies, he added: ‘They were as advertised… 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.’
